SCOTLAND

Departmental Travel

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on grey fleet in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not separately record the cost of travel undertaken in an employee's own vehicle from any other travel and subsistence costs claimed by its staff.

Higher Education: Scotland

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has had recent discussions with the Scottish Executive on the likely effects on universities in Scotland of the proposed changes to higher education funding in England; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Moore: Policy and funding responsibility for higher education in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government, and I am aware that Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have had discussions with Scottish Ministers on a variety of subjects. Although I have not had recent discussions with the Scottish Government on this specific issue, I am in regular contact with a range of stakeholders on matters concerning higher education in Scotland.

WALES

Identity and Passport Service: Newport (Gwent)

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with the First Minister of Wales on the proposed closure of the Newport Passport Office.

Cheryl Gillan: I meet regularly with the First Minister to discuss a number of topics, including the future of Newport Passport Office and will continue to discuss these matters.

Public Expenditure

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the Government have determined what proportion of the £350 million funding for broadband announced in the comprehensive spending review will be spent in Wales.

David Jones: The Government's Broadband Strategy announced yesterday that every community in the UK, including Wales, will have access to superfast broadband as we move towards our aim to have Europe's best broadband network. We have not allocated shares from the £530 million we have made available to help deliver on this commitment by 2015, but expect that projects in Wales will receive an appropriate share of this funding.
	The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) hosted a meeting today with the Broadband Minister and the Deputy First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government to discuss the co-ordination of work that is being undertaken by both Governments to ensure that the needs of the people of Wales are at the heart of this new drive.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions: Housing

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the skills available in the construction workforce to meet his Department's target in respect of zero-carbon new homes by 2016.

Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
	Two reports published in November show the home building industry is aware of the huge changes it faces over the forthcoming decade, including zero carbon homes:
	A report published on 2 November by the Zero Carbon Hub, the National House Building Council and ConstructionSkills on "Home Building Skills 2020" investigated likely changes affecting the new homes industry, including zero carbon homes and how professional, trade and technical roles should prepare in terms of training and qualifications. The report concluded that most of today's core skills for home building will be very similar in future. What will be different is the context in which those skills are applied and the importance of understanding how the work of each part of the industry impacts on others to ensure the integrity of the 'system' as a whole; and
	A report by the Government's Innovation and Growth Team, chaired by Paul Morrell, the Government's Chief Construction Adviser, published on 29 November emphasised the importance of sharing learning to date and in future which will help industry develop its response to the challenge of the low carbon-agenda.
	I welcome both reports and the collaboration of partners with a wide range of knowledge and experience. This work will be helpful in enabling the delivery of zero carbon homes.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on press cuttings services in each year since its creation.

Gregory Barker: DECC was created in October 2008.
	In 2008-09 DECC spent £41,217.67 on press cuttings
	In 2009-10 DECC spent £114,587.29 on press cuttings
	From April to November 2010 DECC has spent £56,740.12 on press cuttings
	As a result of cost cutting measures, DECC has now substantially reduced the scope of, and therefore made substantial savings on, its press cuttings service.

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Secretary of State for ordinary written answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and  (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics in a standard format on the time taken to respond to written parliamentary questions for the 2009-10 session. This information will be submitted to the Procedure Committee shortly.
	The Department does not hold this information in the format requested. In the period 25 May to 12 November 2010, the Department received 683 ordinary written questions of which 518 (76%) were answered within five sitting days. All 683 questions have now received a substantive answer.
	In the same period the Department received 78 named day questions of which 51 (65%) were answered on or before the day for answer. All 78 questions have now received a substantive answer.
	The Department does not hold centrally estimates of the cost relating to the answering of parliamentary questions. For information on the annual indexation exercise of the costs conducted by HM Treasury, I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made by the then Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) on 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 15WS.

Departmental Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of questions to his Department tabled in the  (a) House of Commons and  (b) House of Lords that remained unanswered after 10 working days as a result of observation of guidance on the timing of answers to similar questions tabled to more than one Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: In the case of questions that are deemed to be 'round robin', The Guide to Parliamentary Work, published by the Leader of the House of Commons
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/government-business/parliamentary-business.aspx
	states that departments should not delay preparing an answer until 'round robin' advice is provided, and should not miss the target deadlines for this reason.

Energy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent consideration he has given to the merits of referring the matter of the operation of the energy retail market to the Competition Commission.

Charles Hendry: Reference of the market to the Competition Commission is in the first place a matter for the independent sector regulator, Ofgem. The Secretary of State may only make a reference if Ofgem has decided not to do so or, after bringing to the attention of Ofgem information he considers relevant to the making of a reference, where he is not satisfied that Ofgem will make such a reference in a reasonable period. The Secretary of State must have reasonable grounds for suspecting that competition is not working effectively before making a referral.
	Following the recent announcement of price increases by some energy suppliers, Ofgem has launched a review of the effectiveness of the retail energy market to see if further action is needed to protect customers. Ofgem plans to complete the review by March 2011 alongside its next quarterly report on retail and wholesale energy prices.

Energy Supply

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely number of networks affected by proposals to ensure third party access to licence exempt electricity and gas networks; and what assessment he has made of Ofgem's capacity to process each tariff agreement generated under these proposals.

Charles Hendry: Most if not all of the networks likely to be affected by these proposals operate under exemptions from the requirement for an electricity or gas licence. These exemptions are deregulatory in that, in most cases, networks are not obliged to apply for an exemption. It is therefore difficult to estimate the number of networks affected, but there are likely to be significant numbers. As part of the recent consultation the Government published an impact assessment which estimated that of 93TWh of non-domestic, non-industrial electricity consumption (DUKES 2010) half is supplied through private networks.
	The impact assessment can be found at the following link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Consultations/698-third-party-access-exempt-networks-ia.pdf
	Ofgem will only need to approve tariff agreements in cases where third party access has been requested and the licence exempt network owner decides to make a charge for use of that network. Ofgem will also publish a generic charging methodology that companies can opt for and that this should aid Ofgem's ability to process tariffs agreements.

Energy Supply

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the likely financial effect of the European Court of Justice's Citiworks ruling on  (a) ports,  (b) rail stations,  (c) London underground stations,  (d) industrial estates,  (e) marinas,  (f) airports and  (g) caravan parks of the provision and enforcement of third party access to license exempt electricity and gas networks.

Charles Hendry: Where meters are required or upgrading is necessary to facilitate third party access, the costs associated with such work will ultimately be met by the customer or, on occasion, the prospective third party supplier. The energy regulator, Ofgem, has confirmed that private network owners, including commercial landlords, will not be obliged to upgrade their networks or become licensed distributors in order to allow third party access.

Energy Supply: Impact Assessments

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate of the  (a) cost of and  (b) liabilities in respect of network upgrades for commercial landlords his Department made in preparing the Regulatory Impact Assessment on the implications of the European Court of Justice's Citiworks ruling on the provision of third party access to license exempt electricity and gas networks.

Charles Hendry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today to question 27008.

Energy: Prices

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of rising energy prices on small and medium-sized enterprises; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem actively monitors the energy market and the activities of licence holders and has frequent interactions with all sizes of non domestic enterprises.
	These contacts have highlighted particular concerns around the prices being charged for deemed rates. Suppliers must ensure that deemed rates are not 'unduly onerous' and Ofgem is currently investigating whether prices are higher than they should be.

Green Climate Fund

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral answer of 1 December 2010,  Official Report, column 820, which fast-developing countries he has identified as ones which ought to begin to make financial contributions to the Global Climate Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The Green Climate Fund is currently under discussion as part of UNFCCC negotiations in Cancun-the fund has not yet been agreed nor designed. Therefore, it would be premature to speculate about which individual countries would make financial contributions. Our hope is that the fund will be agreed in Cancun and that, once operational, will provide a suitable vehicle for distributing future climate finance effectively.

Renewable Energy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to the merits of including energy from deep geothermal heat in  (a) the Renewable Heat Incentive and  (b) the Feed-in Tariff.

Charles Hendry: The policy details of the Renewable Heat Incentive are currently being finalised and will be published as soon as possible. As part of the policy-making process my officials have held a number of meetings with representatives of the renewables industry as well as the deep geothermal industry specifically.
	Deep geothermal electricity is eligible for 2 ROCs under the Renewables Obligation, as are other innovative renewable power technologies. The Feed-in Tariffs do not currently cover this technology. As more innovative technologies, such as deep geothermal, become deployable at scale, the FITs scheme has the potential to develop the market for these technologies and we will consider new technologies and their eligibility for FITs at scheme reviews.

Renewable Energy

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had on the availability of feed-in tariffs to community groups which are interested in setting up renewable energy projects.

Charles Hendry: Feed-in tariffs are available to any community group developing local electricity generation schemes under 5 MW. The Department are in discussions with a range of community groups and networks to ensure that awareness of the financial incentive is wide ranging. To this end we launched Community Energy Online last week and have also announced a series of localised events to promote not just the feed-in tariff but the wider community energy programme to local authorities and community groups across England.

Renewable Energy

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to encourage community groups to set up renewable energy projects.

Charles Hendry: The coalition agreement commits to supporting and encouraging community ownership of renewable energy schemes. In the six months since then, we have secured the feed-in tariff which is available to any community and are working through the final details of the world's first renewable heat incentive.
	Alongside these financial incentives, we have launched community energy online, a portal providing guidance and support for communities and local authorities. This tool is being developed in partnership with community networks, the Local Government Group and with Co-operatives UK. It will provide case studies and best practice, how to guides and advice on feasibility, community engagement and financing among other key issues.
	We have also announced a series of events around the country which will seek to engage and enthuse communities. These are being developed in partnership with community networks.
	Together with the Environment Agency, Welsh Assembly Government and Energy Saving Trust, my Department has launched an online booklet "Hydropower: a guide for you and your community" to offer communities and individuals a clear route map on how to develop hydropower schemes.
	All this work has been developed on the back of research such as The Big Energy shift, Green Streets, Low Carbon Building Programme and Low carbon Community Challenge. These small scale programmes have highlighted barriers which the Government are now working to overcome.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Billy Wright Inquiry: Finance

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on IT equipment for the Billy Wright Inquiry; and how such equipment was disposed of at the end of the inquiry.

Owen Paterson: I am advised that the Billy Wright Inquiry spent £303,326 on IT equipment between 2005 and 2010. This figure reflects departmental capital accounting policy which is to capitalise all IT equipment if the useful life of the equipment is greater than one year and the cost, including VAT, is greater than £1,000. Figures relating to expenditure by the Billy Wright Inquiry are available on the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) website:
	www.nio.gov.uk
	Upon the closure of the inquiry, IT equipment which retained its functionality and value was transferred to other areas of the Department for use elsewhere. Other equipment which had reached the end of its useful economic life was disposed of securely.

Commission for Victims and Survivors

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from the Commission for Victims and Survivors on measures to deal with the past in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: I have received one substantive written representation from the Commission for Victims and Survivors on measures to deal with the past (which the Commissioners made public themselves) and have also met with the Commissioners. I intend to meet with them again as the Minister of State and I continue to engage with a broad range of groups and individuals on the subject of handling the past.

Consultative Group on the Past

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to hold meetings with the political parties in Northern Ireland on the recommendations made in the report of the Consultative Group on the Past.

Owen Paterson: As part of the listening exercise on the past which the Minister of State and I are conducting, I have already met most of the political parties to discuss their views on legacy issues in Northern Ireland. These meetings have included discussions on the recommendations made to the previous Government by the Consultative Group on the Past.

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken since his appointment to reduce expenditure on conferences from budgets within his responsibility.

Owen Paterson: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has not held any conferences since 1 April 2010. No budgets have been allocated for conferences in the Department.

Departmental Overtime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on overtime for staff working within his private office in each of the last five years.

Owen Paterson: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution of policing and justice powers on 12 April 2010.
	From 12 April 2010 until 31 October 2010, £8,505 was paid in overtime to staff in the joint Private Office for the Secretary of State and the Minister of State.

Departmental Publications

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on printing  (a) Command Papers,  (b) papers laid before Parliament by Act,  (c) consultation documents and  (d) other papers in each of the last 10 years.

Owen Paterson: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution on 12 April 2010.
	Since 12 April, the Department has spent £5,410 on printing papers presented to Parliament by Act. The Department has incurred no expenditure printing command papers, consultation documents, or other papers. These figures do not include expenditure by arm's length bodies.

Departmental Travel

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on grey fleet in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Owen Paterson: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution of policing and justice powers on 12 April 2010.

TRANSPORT

Departmental Billing

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines his Department follows on the prompt payment of suppliers.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport follows the guidelines on prompt payment of suppliers issued by the UK Department of Business Innovation and skills (BIS). Where clarification on prompt payment guidelines is required we deal directly with BIS.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his  (a) original and  (b) current estimate is of the cost of the (i) establishment and (ii) operation of the flexible benefit project over a three year period.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) initial cost estimate was and  (b) cost estimate is of (i) establishing and (ii) operating the flexible benefits project over a three year period; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The original net estimate for the cost of a three year project for the establishment and operation of the Department's 'Your Reward' programme, one element of which is flexible benefits, was £874,000 in February 2009. This is also the current estimate of the total cost of the project. The equivalent per capita cost is just over £16 per annum based on 18,186 employees (FTEs) in the central Department and its seven executive agencies.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials of his Department have used the flexible benefits project to carry out cost comparison of products and services; and what assessment he has made of the value for money of the service.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport's 'Your Reward' portal enables staff to view and purchase a range of products offered with retailer discounts. Since the scheme came into operation in November 2009, 88,151 viewings have been recorded to date. There is no information about whether the purpose was to carry out cost comparisons or to view and purchase products.
	The estimated net cost of a three-year project for the establishment and operation of the Department's 'Your Reward' programme is £874,000. The equivalent per capita cost is just over £16 per annum based on 18,186 employees (FTEs).
	'Your Reward' responds to key work force challenges and is aligned to civil service reward principles in terms of adopting a total reward approach. The range of benefits offered complements the Department's aim to reduce employee absence, improve employee well-being and support the green transport agenda.

Departmental Consultants

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) purpose and  (b) nature was of the hospitality for which his Department paid Amey Business  (a) £21,933.26 on 4 June 2010,  (b) £15,463.85 on 22 June 2010 and (c) £13,804.61 on 16 June 2010.

Norman Baker: The data above relates to hospitality costs incurred at the main Department for Transport headquarters buildings in London in  (a) March 2010,  (b) April 2010 and  (c) May 2010.
	Since June 2010 the central Department rules for ordering hospitality are as follows:
	"Do not organise any refreshments for internal meetings. Hospitality is appropriate only where there are external attendees. Avoid arranging meetings of longer than one hour between 12pm and 2pm so that working lunches are not required.
	You should have written approval from the Head of Division before ordering anything more expensive than teas and coffees."

Departmental Official Cars

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mileage was travelled by Ministers in cars provided by the Government Car Service in each month between May and October in  (a) 2009 and  (b) 2010.

Michael Penning: No information on mileage travelled by Ministers in cars provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency is held for the periods in question.

Departmental Official Cars

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many journeys of under a mile in central London Ministers have taken in Government cars since May 2010.

Michael Penning: Information on journeys under a mile made by Ministers in Government Cars since May 2010 is not available as the Government Car and Despatch Agency does not keep a record of such information.
	Prior to September 2010 all Ministers were provided with an allocated car and driver on an as directed basis. As a result there was no requirement to keep a record of journeys made. A number of Ministers have continued to be driven under this arrangement since September 2010.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the monetary value was of contracts between his Department and its predecessors and  (a) Post Office Ltd and  (b) Royal Mail in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) each year since 2004-05.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and information is provided from that date or the date an agency was formed, if later.
	The central Department, Driving Standards Agency, Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency and Vehicle Operator Services Agency have not had a contract with  (a) Post Office Ltd and  (b) Royal Mail in each year since 2004-05.
	Government Car and Despatch Agency has a framework arrangement with Royal Mail to provide same day and next day services but there has been no spend as Royal Mail services have not been used.
	The value of contracts between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail since 2004-05 is set out in the following table. DVLA's financial system only goes back to 2002-03, therefore earlier figures are not available. The amounts are exclusive of VAT.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Total Post Office Ltd  Total Royal Mail 
			 2004-05 48,447,223.80 22,176,682.00 
			 2005-06 41,496,161.57 17,909,286.25 
			 2006-07 38,423,264.95 19,160,800.86 
			 2007-08 34,759,836.74 19,730,317.74 
			 2008-09 32,970,126.98 20,906,909.70 
			 2009-10 31,520,332.70 26,021,196.49

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what services provided by his Department and its predecessors were the subject of a contract with Post Office Ltd in 1997-98 and have subsequently become the subject of a contract with another supplier; and what the monetary value was of each such contract in  (a) 1997-98 and  (b) the latest period for which figures are available in each case.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002. I regret that information on what services were the subject of a contract with Post Office Ltd in 1997-98 is not available.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which services of his Department and its predecessors have been the subject of a contract awarded in a tender process in which Post Office Ltd submitted a bid since 1997-98.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and information is provided from that date or the date an agency was formed, if later.
	The Post Office Ltd has not bid for any contract tendered by the central Department, the Driving Standards Agency, Government Car and Despatch Agency, Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Vehicle Operator Services Agency and Vehicle Certification Agency.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency negotiated a contract with Post Office Ltd for vehicle relicensing and other services. Other services include driving licence application, displaying forms across the Post Office network, a returned or unpaid cheques service and network support for these services.

Departmental Regulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what regulations sponsored by his Department have been revoked in the last six months;
	(2)  what new regulations sponsored by his Department have been introduced through  (a) primary legislation and  (b) statutory instrument in the last six months.

Michael Penning: No central list of revoked regulations is available. In the last six months, my Department has not revoked any regulatory measures other than those revoked by measures that replaced them.
	However, it is possible that regulations sponsored by the Department for Transport have been revoked by instruments for which other Departments have policy responsibility.
	We are continuing to scrutinise our stock of regulation and pipeline measures inherited from the previous administration with a view to finding OUTs, for the One-in, One-out regulatory management system.
	In the last six months, no regulations have been made through primary legislation and 15 through statutory instruments. These are listed in the following table. 13 of the measures required no impact assessment because no impact on business or civil society organisations was expected, while the remaining two imposed no net cost on such bodies. The total does not include 762 Temporary Local Highways Orders and 45 Temporary Local Flying Orders.
	
		
			  Legislation laid in Parliament by the Department for Transport since 1 May 2010 
			 The Newlyn Pier and Harbour Revision (Constitution) Order 2010 2010 No. 1462 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Rail Passengers' Rights and Obligations Regulations 2010 2010 No. 1504 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Council of the City of York (Hungate Bridge) Scheme 2009 Confirmation Instrument 2010 2010 No. 1508 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions Designation (No. 3) Order 2010 2010 No. 1514 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Dartford-Thurrock Crossing (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010 No. 1531 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Network Rail (Nuneaton North Chord) Order 2010 2010 No. 1721 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Midland Metro Order 2010 2010 No. 1722 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010 No. 1769 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Sutton Harbour Revision Order 2010 2010 No. 1887 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Ryde Pier Harbour Revision Order 2010 2010 No. 1900 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Port of Bristol (Deep Sea Container Terminal) Harbour Revision Order 2010 2010 No. 2020 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2010 2010 No. 2060 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Tonnage Tax (Training Requirement) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 2010 No. 2158 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Highway Litter Clearance and Cleaning (Transfer of Responsibility) (England) (Amendment) Order 2010 2010 No. 2401 S.I. (UK General) 
			 The Gosport Borough Council (Ferry Works) Harbour Revision Order 2010 2010 No. 2414 S.I. (UK General)

Departmental Telephone Services

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (i) received and (ii) saved through the use of non-geographical telephone numbers in (A) 2008-09 and (B) 2009-10; and how much he expects to be received or saved in 2010-11

Norman Baker: The central Department operates two non-geographic telephone numbers from which the Department receives no income or financial benefit.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) received the following revenue as a result of its use of 0870 and 0906 non-geographic numbers:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 3,846,901 
			 2009-10 1,925,550 
			 2010-11 (1)747,589 
			 (1) Projected 
		
	
	The above figures are a combined total of all DVLA 0870 and 0906 numbers and are based on financial years (April to March). No estimate has been made on how much has been saved by using non-geographical telephone numbers.

Ebbsfleet Railway Station

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the average number of international passengers using Ebbsfleet station each month.

Theresa Villiers: Eurostar International Ltd advises that in 2009, Eurostar carried 9.2 million international passengers. The corresponding figure for the first half of 2010 was 4.6 million. The company does not release information for individual stations.
	The Government do not undertake any separate count or estimate relating specifically to international passengers.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 25 October 2010 in regard to Mrs S Fairclough.

Philip Hammond: I replied to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on the 3 December 2010.

Motorways: Noise

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent steps the Highways Agency has taken to reduce noise from the M54 in Staffordshire;
	(2)  what recent steps the Highways Agency has taken to reduce noise from the M6 between junctions 10 and 13.

Michael Penning: It is the Department for Transport's policy to resurface motorways and trunk roads with material with noise reducing properties when the existing surface needs replacing as part of its normal maintenance cycle.
	The surface of the M54 in Staffordshire has not yet reached the stage where a full resurfacing scheme is justified and there have been no recent works other than minor routine patching schemes. A major surfacing renewal scheme was carried out on the M6 between junctions 12 and 13 in 2007. This means that combined with previous schemes, the length of motorway between junctions 10 and 13 has a low noise surface and no further schemes are proposed in the foreseeable future. Environmental barriers are being replaced on the M6 between junctions 8 and 10A as part of the current managed motorway scheme, which will open the hard shoulder as a running lane. Although the barriers provide some relief from noise, they are not specifically intended for noise reduction.

Railways: Facilities

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Association of Train Operating Companies on travel facilities provision for train drivers.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport have not held any recent discussions with the Association of Train Operating Companies on the subject of travel facilities for drivers.

Railways: Fares

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department conducted an equality impact assessment of his policy to allow rail fares to increase by three per cent. above the retail price index.

Theresa Villiers: Appropriate consideration was given to the equalities impact of the comprehensive spending review decision on rail fares, in accordance with statutory obligations and taking on board the relevant policy criteria. In the light of this assessment, a full equalities impact assessment was not considered to be necessary.

Railways: Fares

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has held with  (a) Passenger Focus and  (b) Network Rail in respect of raising the present cap on rail fares; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 6 December 2010
	Ministers meet Passenger Focus regularly to discuss matters of concern. No specific discussions have taken place between Ministers and Passenger Focus on the decision to raise the cap on rail fares for three years from 2012 onwards. However, research and other work by Passenger Focus was considered before the decision was taken on raising the cap. Ministers would not expect to discuss the cap with Network Rail.

Railways: Fares

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he had held with  (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and  (b) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the socio-economic effects on commuters in (i) the West Midlands and (ii) England of proposed increases in rail fares; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 6 December 2010
	The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discusses matters of policy in general terms with his Cabinet colleagues on a regular basis. A distributional analysis of the impact of rail fare increases was conducted during the spending review and this fed into Treasury analyses of overall spending review outcomes.
	Despite the economic downturn, passenger numbers are, in general, still increasing and we expect this trend to continue. The fares increase announced recently means that the Government can deliver much needed improvements on the rail network including improving conditions and relieving overcrowding on busy routes.

Railways: West Midlands

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much and what proportion of the £90 million allocated to improving rail platforms in the 2010 Spending Review will be spent in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Redditch.

Theresa Villiers: Improvements to rail platforms and due to take place in several regions. For example major works are always to modernise Birmingham New Street station, including its platforms.
	Full details of spending on rail platform improvements planned across the network can be obtained from Network Rail, as the company responsible for delivering the high-level outputs specified by Government.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail carriages were ordered in each of the last three years; and with which suppliers such orders were placed.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 2 December 2010
	396 new rail carriages have been ordered in the last three years: 276 in 2008, 120 in 2009, and 0 in 2010, as shown in the table.
	
		
			  Rail carriages ordered 
			   Operator  Manufacturer  Vehicles 
			 2008 Transport for London Bombardier 28 (class 378) 
			  Transport for London Bombardier 12 (class 172) 
			  West Coast Alstom 106 (class 390) 
			  First Scotrail Siemens 130 (class 380) 
			 
			 2009 National Express East Anglia Bombardier 120 (class 379) 
			 
			 2010 - - - 
			 
			 Total - - 396

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration his Department gave to the provisions in the European procurement directive in its tendering for the Intercity Expressway programme.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 2 December 2010
	The tendering exercise for the Intercity Express Programme has been conducted in full accordance with both UK and European Union requirements for the procurement of services and products by public authorities.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to reduce the level of tolls on the Severn Crossing following the expected completion of debt repayment in 2017.

Michael Penning: No decisions have been made regarding the future charge levels at the crossings once the concession expires.

Timber

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the compliance of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.

Norman Baker: All areas of the Department for Transport including its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), comply with the UK Government's timber procurement policy.
	Compliance is measured at the most appropriate point of the procurement process, dependent on the procurement route taken. Where procurement is through central Government or Buying Solutions contracts, the Department ensures compliance at the point of delivery. Where third parties procure on behalf of the Department, its agencies or NDPBs, the contract with the third party will include a clause(s) requiring that all timber and timber derived products meet the Government's timber procurement policy.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work is being carried out by her Department to ensure the Rural Payments Agency can resume payments of fruit and vegetable aid in the short term.

James Paice: DEFRA and Rural Payment Agency (RPA) officials are working closely together to give fruit and vegetable producer organisations urgent consideration. Producer organisations are aware that the issues raised by EU auditors are serious for both the industry and UK taxpayers.
	In addition, DEFRA recently formed a working group with the RPA and representatives of producer organisations to clarify guidance for the sector. This will help producer organisations continue to meet the EU regulatory requirements covering the Fruit and Vegetables Aid scheme.

Angling

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will meet the Chairman of the Angling Trust to discuss levels of participation in angling.

Richard Benyon: I expressed my intention to hold an angling summit at a meeting I held with the Angling Trust in September 2010. The summit will cover a variety of issues related to angling, including levels of participation. The summit will take place early in the new year and I will ensure that the Angling Trust, along with other representative organisations, is invited to attend.

Angling: Licensing

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will bring forward proposals to enable the Environment Agency to send out reminders for the renewal of rod licences.

Richard Benyon: While the Environment Agency has a statutory duty to implement a system of rod and line licences in England and Wales, and reminders for the renewal of rod licences enable the agency to provide sufficient advice and guidance to their customers, as of May 2010 all Government expenditure on marketing and publicity is subject to the scrutiny of departmental approvals panels, following guidance from the Cabinet Office. DEFRA officials are currently working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure that value for money is taken into account when reminders for the renewal of rod licences are sent out to the angling community.

Angling: Licensing

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many angling rod licences were sold in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency sells licences for fishing with rod and line in England, Wales, and on the Border Esk in Scotland. The licence year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Published sales of rod licences (taken from Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Statistics reports) are as follows:
	
		
			   Rod licence sales 
			 2005-06 1,296,843 
			 2006-07 1,281,537 
			 2007-08 1,352,400 
			 2008-09 1,344,472 
			 2009-10 1,469,344

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the evidence against self-regulation in monitoring the condition of wild animals used in circuses.

James Paice: DEFRA officials are currently considering all the evidence available regarding the issue of wild animals in circuses.
	DEFRA Ministers have been meeting with representatives of welfare groups and the circus industry. An industry body has proposed a self-regulatory system, but no decisions have been made.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has made any assessment of the merits of the use of poison gas for the culling of badgers.

James Paice: Our consultation document makes clear that we have ruled out gassing for the time being on the basis that we do not currently have evidence that it is a sufficiently humane and effective method of culling.

Carbon Emissions: Business

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department plans to take to increase reporting of carbon emissions by UK-listed companies.

James Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) will announce how we intend to proceed in promoting more widespread and consistent reporting of greenhouse gas emissions in early 2011.

Departmental Publications

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the expenditure of her Department and its predecessors on printing  (a) Command Papers,  (b) papers laid before Parliament by Act,  (c) consultation documents and  (d) other papers in each of the last 10 years.

Richard Benyon: Information in the Department's financial records, including its Executive Agencies, for expenditure related to each of these items could be determined only at disproportionate cost as transaction records do not separately cover these specific types of expenditure.

EC Fisheries Council

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who will be members of the UK negotiating team at the December 2010 meeting of the EU Fisheries Council.

Richard Benyon: I will lead the UK Fisheries Delegation at the Council on 13 and 14 December, and will be accompanied by the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment (Richard Lochhead) and the Minister for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland (Michelle Gildernew). The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cambridgeshire (Mr Paice), will be attending for Monday 13 December only. All will be accompanied by officials.

EU Grants and Loans

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to announce the level of funding for Rural Development Programme for England scheme-funded local action groups after April 2011.

James Paice: DEFRA will be providing regional development agencies (RDAs) with further clarity on the indicative budgets available for the socio-economic elements of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) for the next financial year, once the implications of the spending review are confirmed. RDAs will review indicative budget allocations to local action groups to ensure that full spend of the RDPE budget allocation made available through the Leader approach is achieved.

EU Grants and Loans

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the extent of duplication of effort between independent trade support bodies and projects funded from the public purse through the Rural Development Programme for England scheme.

James Paice: All applications for funding under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) are subject to an appraisal process that meets the requirements of the guidance for appraisal, delivery and evaluation produced jointly by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, English Partnerships (now part of the Homes and Communities Agency), regional development agencies and the Office of Project and Programme Advice and Training. That appraisal process includes, among other issues, an assessment of the need for Government funding and any local displacement of existing business. The mid-term evaluation of the RDPE currently being undertaken is considering the additional funding provided through the programme and any displacement impacts.

Farmers: Compensation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what has been the average amount of compensation paid to farmers for the slaughter of each animal type for the purpose of tuberculosis control in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

James Paice: holding answer 3 December 2010
	 In the last five years payments have been made for TB control reasons to owners of cattle, deer and camelids.
	The average DEFRA compensation payment for TB affected cattle in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			   Average cattle compensation paid per animal (£) 
			 2009 1,214 
			 2008 1,056 
			 2007 701 
			 2006 1,042 
			 2005 1,381 
		
	
	These figures were derived from dividing recorded expenditure by recorded number of cattle slaughtered, fn some cases, reactors will be reported in one year but compensation paid in the next.
	Statutory compensation paid to owners of deer slaughtered for TB control purposes is £600 or 50% of market value, whichever is less. The following table shows the total amount of compensation paid in each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Deer compensation paid (£000) 
			 2009 0 
			 2008 0 
			 2007 <1 
			 2006 6 
			 2005 2 
		
	
	No statutory compensation is payable for any other animals. However, since June 2007 DEFRA has operated a non-statutory ex gratia scheme paying farmers £750 for each positive TB test camelid slaughtered for disease control purposes. Before June 2007 ex gratia payments were made, based on individual valuations of the animals. However, we cannot disclose details of these payments as that would enable third parties to attribute the payments to a specific claimant. Information that would enable compensation to be attributed to specific claimants cannot be disclosed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Flood Control

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects Exercise Watermark to  (a) commence and  (b) conclude.

Richard Benyon: Exercise Watermark will commence on 4 March 2011 and will conclude on 11 March 2011.

Flood Control

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on the implementation of recommendation 39 of the Pitt review.

Richard Benyon: Good progress has been made on recommendation 39 of the Pitt Review.
	A comprehensive multi-agency Flood Rescue Concept of Operations (FRCO) has been published which provides national standards for flood rescue assets, training and equipment, and clarity on command and co-ordination in a wide scale flooding event.
	A national, multi-agency register of flood rescue assets and the operational arrangements that will govern how they are used is being finalised, and will be co-ordinated by the Fire and Rescue Services' National Co-ordination Centre. To complement this, DEFRA has recently launched a grant scheme for flood rescue operators, including Fire and Rescue Authorities, to apply for funding to help improve national capability and meet the standards for flood rescue assets as defined in the FRCO. £650,000 has been allocated to date and a further round of the grant scheme has been opened which will conclude in January 2011.
	DEFRA has also committed funding to raising the standard of existing teams to the required level, as articulated in the FRCO. This is important, as the consideration should be not only numbers of assets, but the standards of assets allowing them to be successfully utilised in flooding emergencies. DEFRA has committed such funding to Fire and Rescue Authorities as well as voluntary flood rescue organisations.

Flood Control

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and  (b) the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser on (i) the implementation of recommendation 39 of the Pitt review and (ii) Exercise Watermark.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) speaks frequently with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) on a range of issues. She recently wrote to him about his Department's participation in Exercise Watermark. DEFRA officials have frequent discussions with the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, and his team, on the Government's response to the Pitt Review and Exercise Watermark.

Forestry Commission: Land

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions  (a) she and  (b) Ministers in her Department have had with commercial companies on the future of Forestry Commission land.

James Paice: I regularly meet representatives from companies operating in the forestry sector in my role as Minister of State. Discussions have covered a broad range of issues of interest to the sector, including the Government's proposals to consult on the future of the public forest estate in England.

Forestry Commission: Land

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to ensure that land sold from the Forestry Commission portfolio will be managed to UK Forestry standards and guidelines.

James Paice: The Forestry Commission is responsible for developing the standards for sustainable forestry management in the UK. The UK Forestry Standard sets the minimum standards and is accompanied by a series of guidelines providing advice on its implementation.
	Already, landowners who wish to enter into the English Woodland Grant Scheme, which supports the management of existing woods and the creation of woodland, must meet the sustainable forestry criteria set out in the UK Forestry Standard. Woodland owners who apply for a felling licence, which is normally required to fell growing trees, are expected to manage their woodland to the UK Forestry Standard. In addition, the demand from purchasers of wood and wood products carrying independent confirmation of sustainable management gives woodland owners an incentive to meet the standards set out in UK Forestry Standard and UK Woodland Assurance Scheme.
	The Government will consult early in the new year on the future management and ownership of the public forest estate in England, including options for sustaining the public benefits it currently provides and the use of forestry standards.

Forestry Commission: Land

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which  (a) private and  (b) civil society partners she has consulted in relation to proposed new ownership options for public forests;
	(2)  from which  (a) private and  (b) civil society partners she plans to invite interest on new ownership options for public forests.

James Paice: I have met a range of representatives from industry and non-governmental organisations in the course of normal business where ideas relating to the public forest estate have been discussed. DEFRA and the Forestry Commission will be consulting early next year on proposals regarding the public forest estate in England. We will invite views from a wide range of potential private and civil society partners on a number of new ownership and management options, while protecting public benefits. We also plan to hold stakeholder workshops as part of the public consultation.

Forestry Commission: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether she has discussed with the Scottish Executive  (a) the future of the Forestry Commission Regional Advisory Committee for Scotland and  (b) the role of the Forestry Commissioners in Scotland;
	(2)  whether she has received any request from the Scottish Executive to devolve to it the legislative power to  (a) enable abolition of the Forestry Commission in Scotland and  (b) delegate the powers of the Forestry Commissioners in Scotland.

James Paice: Forestry Ministers in England, Wales and Scotland have discussed via correspondence the UK Government's proposals to consult on the future of the public forest estate in England, to abolish the regional advisory committees and to seek the legislative powers in the Public Bodies Bill. Officials will continue to hold discussions on matters relating to Forestry Commission GB. The Bill, as introduced to Parliament, does not give Scottish Ministers or the Scottish Executive the powers to abolish the Forestry Commissioners. The Scottish Government have powers by virtue of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act, to delegate, by order, the powers of the Forestry Commissioners in Scotland.

Meat: Ritual Slaughter

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the provision contained in amendment 205 to the European Parliament proposal to require label information on the kosher slaughter method; what response she received; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: DEFRA Ministers have held no discussions with EU colleagues on this issue. We do not consider the European Parliament's amendment 205 to the Food Information Regulation to be the correct way to address this, as we would like to see method of slaughter labelling considered in an animal welfare context.
	However, we believe people should know what they are buying in shops and when they are eating out and we are discussing with food and catering industries whether labelling and point of sale information can play a greater role in giving consumers an informed choice about the food they buy. All involved agree this is a complex, difficult and sensitive issue.

Military Bases: USA

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the level of income which would accrue to companies based in the UK if US military food supplies were imported via warehouses in the UK rather than in Germany.

James Paice: The decision about the location of food supply warehouses is a matter for the US Government. We therefore have no plans to estimate its financial impact.

Poultry: EU Action

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely effects on the competitiveness of the egg industry of the implementation of proposed EU legislation on  (a) egg grading and  (b) hen caging.

James Paice: The Department is in close contact with industry and in October I met with the British Egg Industry Council where I stressed my commitment to the 2012 deadline for the conventional cage ban to come into force and to supporting industry throughout the transition.
	The UK has suggested the introduction of a Code '4' for eggs produced by hens housed in enriched systems with the Commission, to ensure they can be distinguished from those housed in conventional cages after the ban is introduced. However, the Commission has made it clear that it views the introduction of an additional Code as confusing to consumers. It is not an option it is willing to consider.
	On 19 November I met with Commissioner Dalli and others from the Commission to discuss a range of issues which included the 2012 laying hen conventional cage ban. I raised my concerns over the probability of EU wide non-compliance and have strongly urged the Commission to put sufficient enforcement measures in place to protect compliant producers if other countries do not meet the 2012 deadline.
	We will continue to work with the European Commission and industry to ensure that everything is done to protect UK producers who have already made significant investment to comply with the legislation.

Sewers: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much local authorities in  (a) England and  (b) Milton Keynes spent on the maintenance of sewers in the latest period in which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not collate information about expenditure on maintenance of sewers by local authorities.

Timber

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the compliance of  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.

James Paice: We have not assessed if the timber and wood derived products procured by DEFRA, its agencies and NDPBs comply with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.
	We have introduced processes to aid compliance with the UK Government timber procurement policy which accords with the UN FAO principles as shown on their website.
	In the core Department these include:
	A requirement in our Sustainable Procurement Policy Statement for buyers and suppliers to take account of the Government's timber procurement policy;
	Inclusion in our standard terms and conditions of contract of requirements for suppliers to comply with the timber procurement policy and meet Government Buying Standards, which cover commodities such as furniture and paper and require compliance with the policy;
	Use of PQQs, ITT questions and specifications dealing with the policy where relevant to the subject matter of the contract;
	Promotion of Government approved model ITT, model contract condition for timber and wood-derived products and model specification text on DEFRA's suppliers' website;
	Promotion on the suppliers' website of workshops for procurers run by the Central Point of Expertise for Timber (CPET);
	Master classes and other training to raise buyers' awareness of the Government's timber procurement policy and Government Buying Standards.
	The core Department has promoted the use of these processes and standard terms and conditions of contract for sourcing sustainable timber to all DEFRA Executive Agencies and NDPBs.

Tuberculosis

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what treatments her Department has recommended that farmers carry out on animals suspected of carrying tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what procedures her Department follows in respect of the blood testing of animals suspected of having tuberculosis; which officer of her Department or its agencies takes the decision to proceed with a blood test; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: holding answer 3 December 2010
	 DEFRA does not recommend any treatment for animals suspected of carrying tuberculosis (TB). Treatment of cattle for TB is explicitly forbidden in both the domestic and EU tuberculosis control legislation. There are several sound scientific and public health reasons for this, including the fact that treatment can mask the reactions to the TB tests in infected animals, thus causing false negative results. In addition, there are no veterinary drugs licensed in the UK for the treatment of TB in cattle or other mammals.
	The interferon-gamma test is the only ancillary blood test approved for the detection of TB infected cattle in the European Union. It is down to member states to define the specific circumstances in which this test is to be deployed in their territory, always in conjunction with the primary tuberculin skin test. The field procedures for blood testing of cattle herds are laid down in the Operations Manual of Animal Health. The laboratory methods are set out in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency standard operating laboratory procedures. In certain prescribed circumstances, the application of the interferon-gamma test in cattle herds is mandatory, whereas in other scenarios its use is subject to a degree of discretion, professional judgement and risk assessment by Animal Health veterinary officers.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Al-Qaeda

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of links between al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and terrorist and paramilitary organisations in  (a) North Africa,  (b) the Middle East and  (c) Yemen. [R]

Alistair Burt: Al-Qaeda's allies and affiliates look to exploit ungoverned space and instability where they can, whether in the Sahel or Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq or Afghanistan. These affiliates share al-Qaeda's name, broad objectives and methods. These groups broaden al-Qaeda's reach across the Muslim world and enhance its ability to plan terrorist attacks. We are aware of links between al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and paramilitary organisations in North and West Africa and we continue to monitor these.

Arms: Exports

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to which states arms were exported from the UK in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: For the period January to June 2010, information about UK arms exports is available on the Strategic Export Controls: Reports and Statistics pages on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Website:
	https://www.exportcontroldb.berr.gov.uk/eng/fox/sdb/SDBHOME
	Information on UK arms exports for the period July to December 2010, will be available on the same website by April 2011.
	For the period January to December 2009, information is available in the United Kingdom Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2009 which is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Website:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/about-us/our-publications/sec-2009-ar-data

Auschwitz

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the condition of the site of Auschwitz-Birkenau; what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: I have been asked to reply.
	No recent reports have been received and no recent discussions have been held with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this issue.

Auschwitz

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will contribute to the fund responsible for the upkeep of Auschwitz-Birkenau; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are currently considering their position on contributions to the Perpetuity Fund for the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. We are also contributing to EU discussions on whether to offer funds to the Foundation and this may influence the way the Government approach this issue.

Auschwitz

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on funding of Auschwitz-Birkenau Perpetual Fund; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: I have been asked to reply.
	The Managing Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation visited the Department for Culture, Media and Sport recently to discuss funding. This Department and other Government Departments have received letters from Members of Parliament.

Auschwitz

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the operation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Perpetual Fund; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: I have been asked to reply.
	No recent reports have been received on this issue.

Azerbaijan: NATO

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on section 35 of the NATO Lisbon Summit declaration offering unequivocal support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The UK supports the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit declaration made at Lisbon. We believe that territorial integrity is one of the principles that should form the basis to any solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, along with respect for the self-determination of people and the non-use of force. The UK continues to support the work of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group and their efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The UK calls for both Armenia and Azerbaijan to focus with renewed energy on achieving a sustainable peace agreement for the stability and security of the region.

British Nationals Abroad

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals living outside the UK are registered with the LOCATE service in each  (a) country and  (b) territory in which the LOCATE service in offered.

Jeremy Browne: As of 1 December 2010, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas online registration and crisis database, LOCATE, currently holds a total of 49,666 active registrants. This figure breaks down as: 49,623 registrants spread across various countries and 43 registrants in the UK's overseas territories.

British Nationals Abroad: Offences against Children

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals are detained in foreign countries in relation to offences of child sexual abuse.

Jeremy Browne: According to our records, there are currently a total of 135 British nationals detained in foreign countries in relation to offences of child sexual abuse.

China: Political Prisoners

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations in public to the government of China to release Liu Xiaobo and all prisoners of conscience on the occasion of Human Rights Day on 10 December 2010.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has clearly stated that the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo shines a spotlight on the situation of human rights defenders worldwide. This Government are committed to promoting human rights in foreign policy and support the work of human rights defenders around the world. British Ministers have regularly raised the case of Liu Xiaobo in their engagement with China. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the case during his visit to China in July this year. We will continue to urge the Chinese Government to release Mr Liu.
	The work of human rights defenders is the theme for this year's International Human Rights Day. To mark the occasion we will be issuing a statement to highlight the important work these individuals do, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances, and the work the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is doing to support human rights defenders around the world.

Confliction Prevention: Finance

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department allocated to conflict prevention in each year since 2005.

William Hague: holding answer 29 November 2010
	Conflict prevention activity is funded primarily through a tri-departmental fund called the Conflict Pool. This is managed jointly by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence. The Conflict Pool has existed in various forms since 2005 (as the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, Africa Conflict Prevention Pool and Conflict Prevention Pool). Funding for the Conflict Pool is provided through the spending round, separately from departmental expenditure limits. The FCO does not normally contribute additional funds from its own budget. However, in financial year 2009-10 the FCO contributed an additional £2 million from its departmental budget towards a £20 million uplift to the Afghanistan programme.
	This financial year, the Conflict Pool is £178.5 million and funds five programmes; four regional: Africa, the middle east, wider Europe and South Asia, and one thematic: Strategic Support to International Organisations. FCO spend through the Conflict Pool is listed in the departmental resource accounts available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
	In addition to programme activity funded through the Conflict Pool, a large part of the FCO's core bilateral work supports the Government's conflict prevention, peacebuilding and peacekeeping goals. As this is part of wider bilateral relationships, it is not possible to provide a separate figure for this.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in place in his Department to enable staff of his Department to propose innovations in working practices to improve service provision.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office encourages all its staff to offer suggestions on how working practices can be done more innovatively and efficiently. Suggestion schemes regularly receive ideas from staff which are investigated as to their practicality and desirability and are implemented where appropriate.
	We ran a specific 'Innovate and Save' scheme earlier this year which generated more than 400 ideas for ways to work differently and increase efficiency. This scheme closed in the summer and we now take proposals from staff as part of our change and efficiency agendas.

Departmental Contracts

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to encourage and support small and medium-sized enterprises and third sector organisations to compete for departmental contracts in line with value-for-money policy, UK regulations and EU procurement directives.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) recognises the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises and is aware of the Government's programme to support them in the UK. While much of the FCO's operations are overseas, which is reflected in its procurement activities, it has been and continues to be supportive of this programme for its UK procurement, and the work the Cabinet Office's Efficiency and Reform Group is undertaking to improve small and medium-sized enterprises' access to forthcoming Government contracts and improve opportunities to win business.
	Due to the majority of FCO procurement being undertaken overseas, the FCO does not have significant opportunities for UK third sector organisations. However, it is engaging with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and other leading Departments on this agenda and works, where appropriate, to increase opportunities for such organisations to access and compete for FCO contracts focused on the UK.

EU Law

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) legislation and  (b) other measures presented to the Council of Ministers the Government has agreed to adopt since May 2010; which such measures the Government did not support prior to their adoption; and what (i) legislation and (ii) other measures have been adopted in the Council of Ministers on the basis of qualified majority voting on occasions where the UK voted against since May 2010.

David Lidington: The Council of the European Union publishes this information on its website. It can be found at:
	http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showPage.aspx?id=551&;lang=EN
	Since May 2010, the UK has abstained on the following measures which were adopted by qualified majority voting:
	1. Regulation (EU) No 539/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 June 2010 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund as regards simplification of certain requirements and as regards certain provisions relating to financial management PE-CONS 9/3/10 REV 3.
	2. Directive 2010/41/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2010 on the application of the principle of equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity in a self-employed capacity and repealing Council Directive 86/613/EEC PE-CONS 18/2/10 REV 2.
	The UK has not voted against any measures adopted on the basis of qualified majority voting.

Foreign Policy

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what priorities he has set for his Department's most recent strategic framework; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what priorities he has set for his foreign policy strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: In July, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister agreed a new set of foreign policy priorities for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They are:
	"Britain will pursue an active and activist foreign policy, working with other countries and strengthening the rules-based international system in support of our values to:
	Safeguard Britain's national security by countering terrorism and weapons proliferation, and working to reduce conflict.
	Build Britain's prosperity by increasing exports and investment, opening markets, ensuring access to resources, and promoting sustainable global growth.
	Support British nationals around the world through modern and efficient consular services."
	These priorities are at the heart of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Departmental Business Plan, which sets out in detail the foreign policy priorities under the Coalition Agreement and which is published on the Downing Street and Foreign and Commonwealth Office websites. They are consistent with the role of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as set out in the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

International Violence against Women Champion

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the International Violence Against Women Champion will exercise ministerial responsibilities in his Department.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, the Ministry of Defence and Government Equalities Office all work on tackling violence against women overseas. Ministerial responsibility for taking forward the UK's work overseas will continue to rest with departmental Ministers.
	The champion will encourage relevant Ministers to use all available levers and influence in their domestic, EU and international engagements to raise the profile of this issue overseas.

Iraq: Religious Freedom

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Iraqi counterpart on the protection of religious minorities in Iraq.

Alistair Burt: We utterly condemn the recent attacks on the Christian community of Iraq.
	On 10 November I met the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari and raised the issue of Iraqi Christians with him. Mr Zebari acknowledged that the protection of Christians was the Iraqi Government's responsibility.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister also raised this in a telephone conversation to Prime Minister al-Maliki on 15 November. Prime Minister al-Maliki again expressed concern at recent developments, and welcomed UK support, particularly on persuading the Christian minority groups to remain in Iraq. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear the Iraqis had the UK's full support.
	During his visit to Iraq from 22-25 November my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, raised the need to improve the protection of Christians and other minorities with all his interlocutors.
	The Government will continue to press the Iraqi Government to ensure that Iraqi constitutional commitments to guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens is respected and protected. We will also continue to urge the Iraqi Government to protect all communities, especially vulnerable minority groups and to deal appropriately with those who are found responsible for any acts of violence and intimidation because of political, ethnic or religious affiliation.

Kazakhstan: Human Rights

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the progress of Kazakhstan on pledges on  (a) human rights and  (b) other matters made in Madrid in 2007 during its chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

David Lidington: Kazakhstan has taken some limited steps forward in the fields of human rights and political reform, but further improvements are needed. The UK consistently makes clear the importance it attaches to the human dimension of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), including the obligations to which Kazakhstan has committed itself. I discussed these issues with the Kazakh Government during my visit to Almaty for an informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in July. During the OSCE summit in Astana on 1 and 2 December 2010, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister raised these issues with the Government of Kazakhstan and my right hon. Friend and I discussed Kazakhstan's reform agenda and human rights record with local non-governmental organisations and representatives of Kazakhstan's opposition parties. We and international partners will continue to encourage the Kazakh authorities, both within and outside the framework of the OSCE, to press ahead with reforms, many of which they themselves have identified as necessary.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of incidents of cargo ships carrying arms to  (a) Hamas,  (b) Hezbollah and  (c) Iraqi insurgents being seized by state authorities since 1 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We have received no recent reports of cargo ships carrying arms to Hamas, Hizballah or Iraqi insurgents. However, we remain concerned at reports of arms transfers to Hamas and Hizballah more generally and continue to call on all parties in the region to respect UN Security Council Resolutions 1860 and 1701. Together with our international partners we will take action wherever possible to halt the smuggling of illegal arms.

Morocco: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of UK nationals who have travelled to Morocco in each year since 2000.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Consular Department only has estimates of the number of British visitors to Morocco for the financial years 1999-2007. These are shown in the following table. These data were drawn from a variety of sources and, because of the lack of consistently reliable sources, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ceased to collect this information after 2006-07.
	
		
			  Year financial  Estimated number of British visitors 
			 1999-2000 490,169 
			 2000-01 90,000 
			 2001-02 346,511 
			 2002-03 122,105 
			 2003-04 134,000 
			 2004-05 170,000 
			 2005-06 270,000 
			 2006-07 265,000

Morocco: Police

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what formal channels for communication and co-operation exist between civilian security forces in the UK and Morocco.

Alistair Burt: We have a positive working relationship with the Moroccan police, including on a variety of capacity building projects, information sharing and operational co-operation.

Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has set objectives for the UK's presidency of the UN Security Council in respect of  (a) the question of autonomy in the Western Sahara,  (b) human rights in the Western Sahara and  (c) the welfare of Mustapha Salman Ould Sidi Mouland. [R]

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced in a statement on 2 November that, under the UK presidency, the UN Security Council would hear updates on progress towards a settlement in Western Sahara. On 16 November we arranged for the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Western Sahara, Ambassador Christopher Ross, to brief the council on the latest round of negotiations between the parties to agree a mutually acceptable and long-lasting political solution to the dispute.
	The UK continues to support the idea of independent verification of the human rights situation in Western Sahara. Discussions regarding human rights monitoring in Western Sahara need to explore all options and identify which instrument is best placed to deliver that function.
	The case of Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud has not been raised at the UN Security Council.

Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government has had  (a) at the UN Security Council and  (b) with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on the welfare of Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouland. [R]

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of the case of Mr Mustafa Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud, and our embassies in Rabat and Algiers are following events closely. We are concerned that, despite an announcement of his release by the Polisario on 6 October, Mr Salma's whereabouts are still unknown. Our embassy officials have met Mr Salma's family and raised his case with Polisario representatives.
	We have not had discussions regarding Mr Salma's welfare at the UN Security Council or with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the legality of the detention of Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouland in Algeria; on what dates he has made representations to  (a) the government of Algeria and  (b) Polisario on the detention of Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouland; and on what dates his Department has discussed the future of (A) Western Sahara and (B) Ceuta and Melilla with the Spanish government since 2005. [R]

Alistair Burt: We understand that Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud was detained by the Polisario, who exercise de facto administration over the Saharawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria. Media in the region has reported that he was released to the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR) in Mauritania on 1 December. The Government are aware of this case and our embassies in Rabat and Algiers are following events closely. We will continue to monitor developments and call on all parties to adhere to the obligations set out in international conventions in relation to respect for human rights and the protection of refugees.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any representations to the Government of Algeria regarding this case. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met with the Polisario representative in London on 28 October 2010 and reiterated the UK position that Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud must have access to a free and fair trial to defend any charges levied against him.

Russia: Politics and Government

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on deaths of journalists in Russia in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: According to the non-governmental organisation the Glasnost Defence Foundation, 46 journalists have been murdered in Russia since 2005. This includes the murder of Anna Politkovskaya in 2006. We are deeply concerned about attacks on journalists in Russia and the low success rate in investigating and prosecuting crimes against journalists in recent years. The perception of a climate of impunity further undermines freedom of expression and human rights in Russia.
	The UK supported EU High Representative Catherine Ashton's statement of 17 November 2010 about attacks on journalists in Russia. We will continue to raise this issue both bilaterally and with our EU partners.

Sudan: Referendums

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department has provided to the Sudanese authorities in advance of the forthcoming referendum.

Alistair Burt: The UK is providing logistical, technical, and political support to the implementation of the Referendum on self-determination for Southern Sudan. Our assistance is provided through a £10 million contribution to the UN Development Programme Basket Fund. We are also providing support to the political talks between the Sudanese parties on border demarcation and security arrangements.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials of his Department are stationed in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Alistair Burt: There are five Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials stationed in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In addition, there are two positions in the Governor's Office in Grand Turk filled by officials seconded from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Ministry of Defence.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what criteria the Child Support Agency uses to determine the  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations it consults as stakeholders;
	(2)  under what circumstances the Child Support Agency  (a) is required to and  (b) chooses to consult stakeholders;
	(3)  what methods the Child Support Agency uses to consult stakeholders;
	(4)  how often representatives of the Child Support Agency met external stakeholders in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(5)  with what frequency the Child Support Agency consults  (a) external organisations and  (b) members of the public on its activities;
	(6)  what recent discussions the Child Support Agency has had on its activities with  (a) stakeholders and  (b) other interested parties.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty :
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	; and
	; and
	; and
	; and
	; and
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions the Child Support Agency has had on its activities with (a) stakeholders and (b) other interested parties.
	The Commission undertakes high level stakeholder engagement in relation to the child maintenance system in Great Britain. In broad terms, the Commission actively seeks to engage with stakeholders including:
	Stakeholders who represent separated parents with a child maintenance arrangement or who would benefit from such an arrangement;
	Stakeholders who provide information, advice, support, advocacy or training to separating or separated parents;
	Stakeholders who represent professionals whose clients regularly include separating and separated parents and who are in a position to provide information and support on child, maintenance to these parents;
	Stakeholders who have an interest in the role that child maintenance plays in the wider policy on families and children and;
	Stakeholders who can assist the Commission in the exercise of its statutory functions.
	The Commission is also happy to answer questions and have discussions with stakeholders that approach the Commission. It is not uncommon for the Commission to be approached in this way.
	The Commission has undertaken to engage with stakeholders on the development of services and changes in policy. A range of methods are used to engage with stakeholders and the methods used are selected in each circumstance on the basis of good practice, practicality and the other needs of all involved. Methods include forums, bilateral meetings, correspondence, telephone conversations, attendance at conferences and formal public consultations.
	Due to the frequent and both formal and informal nature of the Commission's engagement with its stakeholders, no figures are collected on the frequency of meetings with stakeholders.
	Stakeholders and members of the public are also involved in the development of child maintenance policy through formal public consultations. These are conducted as appropriate and in line with the Government's Code of Conduct on Consultation. In the last year, there has been one consultation, which concluded in June 2010, on miscellaneous child maintenance regulations.
	Recently the Commission has been having discussions with stakeholders on developing and enhancing the current Child Maintenance Options service, training professionals to support parents on child maintenance issues and security processes for telephone conversations with Child Support Agency clients and their representatives. The Commission has, together with the Department for Work and Pensions, also been discussing with stakeholders ways in which families can be better supported through the child maintenance system.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken since his appointment to reduce expenditure on conferences from budgets within his responsibility.

Chris Grayling: The Department revised its internal policies and guidance in July 2010 with the clear intention of reducing costs. The use of an external venue for any business meeting, including conferences, should now be exceptional and requires the advance approval of a member of the senior civil service.
	Compared to the same period last year, spend for the period April to October 2010 reduced by approximately 66%.

Disability Living Allowance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from which local authorities he has received representations on the mobility element of disability living allowance since June 2010; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence with each such local authority.

Maria Miller: A search of the available data in the Department's ministerial correspondence system has not identified any correspondence addressed to Ministers from local authorities on the mobility element of disability living allowance during the period specified.
	An official at Dudley metropolitan borough council has written to officials at the Department for Work and Pensions on this issue.

Employment and Support Allowance: Scotland

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long on average it has taken for an appeal against refusal of a claim for employment and support allowance to be heard in Scotland since the inception of that allowance.

Maria Miller: For appeals heard relating to employment and support allowance claims in Scotland, the average time from the Department of Work and Pensions decision to the hearing with the Tribunals Service is around six months.
	There is some uncertainty around these timings, as for any given cohort of employment and support allowance claims there will be a number of uncleared cases in the system. The average time from the Department of Work and Pensions decision to the Tribunals Service hearing may therefore change as more appeals are processed.

Employment: Disability

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to extend autism awareness training to all disability employment advisers working in Jobcentre Plus centres.

Maria Miller: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Darra Singh:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about plans to extend autism awareness training to all disability employment advisers working in Jobcentre Plus centres. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	All Jobcentre Plus advisers receive training to enable them to support disabled people. As part of their training advisers are introduced to Employment and Health Condition Guide notes including background information on a number of conditions, including autism. These guide notes include the implications for work related interviews and employment, the identification of job goals and work solutions and how to use questioning techniques in order to best support autistic customers' job search and return to work. Disability Employment Advisers receive further levels of skills training appropriate to their customers, including skills practice in interviewing an autistic person, to reinforce learning points.
	Jobcentre Plus maintains contact with stakeholders and welcomes feedback that helps to improve the quality of the service it offers. Jobcentre Plus maintains regular contact with the National Autistic Society (NAS) who have provided a range of information including contact centre scripts and adviser training details. Jobcentre Plus also chairs a Hidden Impairments National Group with representatives from organisations supporting customers including those with autism. Representatives from both NAS and Autism Plus are members of this group. This group are in the process of developing "e-cards", quickly and easily accessible, intranet based information. The "e-cards" will be available to all Jobcentre Plus staff via the intranet and will contain examples of the difficulties customers with hidden impairments may have in their daily lives as a consequence of their particular condition. These "e-cards" will outline the most appropriate reasonable adjustments Jobcentre Plus advisers can make for customers with hidden impairments and enable our staff to support these customers so that they can more easily access appropriate services.
	Last year Jobcentre Plus engaged with two autism telephone tutorials held by the Employers Forum on Disability at which Jobcentre Plus Disability Employment Advisers actively participated. Events such as these help to develop an even greater understanding of autism and the issues related to employment.

Employment: Disability

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date the call for evidence on specialist disability employment support will close.

Maria Miller: The call for evidence for the review of specialist disability employment support will close on 28 February 2011.

Equality: Disability

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer of 18 October 2010,  Official Report, column 618, on equality (disabled people), when he expects to publish the equality impact assessment in respect of the effects of the Comprehensive Spending Review on disabled people.

Maria Miller: Throughout the spending review process, HM Treasury has looked closely at the impact that decisions may have on different groups in society-and published an 'Overview of the Equalities Impacts of the Spending Review' on 20 October alongside the spending review announcements.
	We also now have a full summary of the changes which affect disabled people on the Department for Work and Pension's website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/adviser/updates/spending-review-2010
	Within the Department for Work and Pensions, all Budget and spending review measures will be equality impact assessed. Where the detail of policies is still being developed we will publish equality impact assessments at the most appropriate time, for example alongside the Welfare Reform Bill. Some policies, such as changes to the disability living allowance assessment, will be subject to consultation and, therefore, the equality impact assessment will be published at a later date, when policies are finalised. The equality impacts of Budget changes have been published where detail of the policy has been finalised, and can be found on this Department's website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/impact%2Dassessments/equality%2Dimpact%2Dassessments/

Health and Safety Executive

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effects of his proposed changes to the Health and Safety Executive on  (a) workplace,  (b) emergency worker and  (c) firefighter safety; and what recent discussions on firefighter safety he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Chris Grayling: I am currently considering the proposals of HSE for delivering a renewed and effective health and safety regulatory service in the light of the challenges of reduced Government funding, in line with most other parts of the public sector, and also the recommendations made by Lord Young of Graffham in his report 'Common Sense, Common Safety', which the Government have accepted. At their heart will be the principle that those workplaces presenting low risks and good standards of compliance with health and safety laws should receive less inspection from the regulators. We will look to widen cost recovery in relation to businesses with a level of risk justifying a higher level of regulatory intervention or where material fault is found and enforcement action is necessary. We now have the opportunity to both reduce bureaucracy for business and put the emphasis back on addressing real risks and preventing death, injury and diseases to those at work and those affected by work-related activities.
	With regard to the police and fire services the Government have accepted Lord Young's recommendations. The Health and Safety Executive is consulting with the Crown Prosecution Service regarding guidance for regulators on the application of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to ensure that it is consistent with, and reflects the principles, already agreed with the two services, as set out in HSE's high level statements 'Striking the balance between operational and health and safety duties in the Police Service' and 'Striking the balance between operational and health and safety duties in the Fire and Rescue Service'.

Health and Safety Executive

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effects of his proposed changes to the Health and Safety Executive on standards in recording of  (a) injuries and  (b) fatalities in the work place.

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive will conduct a formal consultation on any proposals to amend the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), that place a duty on employers and others to report work related injuries to health and safety enforcing authorities. An impact assessment that will consider the costs and benefits of any proposed change will accompany any proposals.

Housing Benefit

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an estimate of the number of households in Scotland which will be affected by the proposed capping of household benefits from 2013.

Chris Grayling: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow East (Margaret Curran) on 13 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 345-46W.

Housing Benefit

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of his Department's budget he plans to allocate to  (a) pensioners,  (b) physically and mentally disabled people and  (c) carers for assistance with housing in each year of the Spending Review period following the implementation of his proposals for spending reductions in respect of housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Decisions on who is awarded discretionary housing payments are for local authorities.

Housing Benefit

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Department of Health has  (a) produced and  (b) contributed to the production of an assessment of the likely effects on the health of vulnerable groups of the implementation of the Government's proposed housing benefit changes; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The Department for Health has been involved in assessing the impact of the changes we are making to housing benefit from April 2011 and has contributed to the impact assessment that we published on 30 November 2010. The assessment is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lha-impact-nov10.pdf

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to announce his proposals for reform of housing benefit payments to pensioners.

Steve Webb: The Welfare Reform Bill, which we plan to introduce in early 2011, will include detail of the provision for housing support for pensioners.

Innovation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what structures his Department has established to encourage innovation among its staff.

Chris Grayling: The Department has established The DWP Lean Project and Innovation Team to encourage innovation among its staff.
	Through the DWP Lean Project, which began in 2006, we are using lean tools and techniques in order to capture ideas from our frontline staff, to bring about innovative improvements in the way we work and manage our business.
	More recently, BIS has been looking at how to make the public sector more innovative and as such have sponsored The key programme which is being delivered by DWP to develop a set of on-line innovation tools. These tools are being developed for use across the public sector to build innovation capability, in the interests of gaining efficiency savings, reducing duplication, stimulating the wider economy and encouraging innovation through competition and innovative procurement. The three component tools being developed are:
	'Idea Street' to capture staff ideas
	Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI)-an automated pre-commercial procurement tool to provide more flexibility in developing innovation
	'SPARK'-a collaborative showcase platform and central public sector repository of innovative projects and products.
	Within DWP we are taking a 'crowdsourcing' approach to encourage innovation amongst the Depts. staff. This involves using the 'Ideas Street' platform to set innovation challenges and engage with frontline staff to generate ideas around the challenges they face. The 'Idea Street' allows the 'crowd' to comment, develop and vote on the ideas. This process results in only the good ideas with support and approval ratings being put before a panel of experts who determine whether to develop a business case for approval by the change committee. A number of challenges are already in place for example:
	JCP Paper Reduction programme
	LEAN team
	PDCS "Are We Spending Wisely?" initiative
	Corporate IT cost reductions
	This is intended to increase the breadth of challenges across the Department.

Jobcentre Plus: Buildings

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost per square metre is of jobcentre premises rented by  (a) Trillium and  (b) his Department.

Chris Grayling: holding answer 6 December 2010
	The (national) average cost per square metre for Jobcentre Plus premises is £373.29, which includes rent, business rates and other components that make up the unitary charge paid by the Department to Telereal Trillium for the provision of fully fitted and serviced accommodation. The average for London is £483.48.

Jobcentre Plus: Disability

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training disability employment advisers are required to undertake as a condition of their role in Jobcentre Plus; and who provides that training.

Maria Miller: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Ruth Owen:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what disability employment advisers are required to undertake as a condition of their role in Jobcentre Plus; and who provides that training. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Darra Singh as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Darra Singh is currently unavailable, I am replying in his absence.
	Disability Employment Advisers (DEA) are responsible for providing support to customers who, due to their disability or health condition, may need additional help in finding and retaining work and supporting development. This is a specialist role.
	In terms of training, the DEA initially completes 96 hours of induction and foundation learning which provides an introduction to their working environment, generic knowledge of customer service, diversity and equality policies and an introduction to accessing information via the DWP intranet.
	This would be followed by 205 hours of learning specific to the Personal Adviser (PA) job role consisting of Adviser Skills learning, with a core series of Adviser Skills workshops and periods of supported workplace consolidation, to enable the advisers to effectively interview customers, diagnose their needs, identify challenges to work and solutions to support customers. The workshops provide advisers with other knowledge and procedural learning to complement their skills such as identifying local labour market information and job search skills.
	Following the standard PA learning programme the DEA will go on to complete an additional 59 hours of specialist learning to support customers with severe health conditions.
	This DEA learning has been designed by the Jobcentre Plus Learning Division with input from specialist DWP Work Psychologists. In addition, for specific elements of the learning there has been liaison with external organisations such as Mencap, to help advisers understand the needs of customers with mental health issues. Trainers delivering DEA learning materials in addition to being skilled learning professionals will have also attended events with DWP Work Psychologists to ensure that they are fully able to deliver this specialised learning.

Jobcentre Plus: Disability

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus disability employment advisers there are  (a) in Bristol,  (b) in the South West and  (c) nationally.

Maria Miller: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Ruth Owen:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many Jobcentre Plus disability employment advisers there are in a) Bristol; b) in the South West; and c) nationally. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Darra Singh as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Darra Singh is currently not available, I am replying in his absence.
	The information in the following table is set out in full time equivalents. This is the latest published data as at June 2010.
	
		
			   Numbers of disability employment advisers 
			 Bristol 3 
			 South West 40 
			 National 491 
		
	
	This data is drawn from an internal Departmental system used to monitor staff deployment trends.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households at risk of repossession as a result of changes to mortgage interest support provided by his Department; and if he will estimate the cost to local authorities arising from such repossessions.

Steve Webb: The Department does not capture information on reasons for ending a benefit claim, including support for mortgage interest, so does not capture the number of claimants who no longer receive support for mortgage interest payments because they have been repossessed.
	The Department is in the process of developing a model to estimate the impact of changes to support for mortgage interest on the number of repossessions. However any estimates will always be limited since detailed case-by-case information, such as arrears at the start of a claim, is not collected by the Department. Furthermore, the relationship between arrears and continued home ownership is a complex one dependant on more than the level of Support for Mortgage Interest payable. The Department will consider whether the results can be used publicly once this is work is complete.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders has told the Department that it expects lenders to continue to exercise forbearance where it is fair to do so for the borrower, and the borrower has a chance of paying off any arrears in the future. The Council of Mortgage Lenders thinks that where arrears levels increase for some borrowers as a result of the change in the standard interest rate this does not translate into an immediate possession risk.
	Information on the cost to local authorities arising from repossessions is not available.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms will be in place to assist those receiving mortgage interest support who  (a) are receiving less than 70 per cent. of their mortgage interest costs and  (b) have not been able to enter into a forbearance agreement with their mortgage lender under his Department's proposals.

Steve Webb: The Council of Mortgage Lenders has told the Department that it expects lenders to continue to exercise forbearance where it is fair to do so for the borrower, and the borrower has a chance of paying off any arrears in the future. The Council of Mortgage Lenders thinks that where arrears levels increase for some borrowers as a result of the change in the standard interest rate this does not translate into an immediate possession risk.
	Under the Pre-Action Protocol, lenders must prove they have considered all other options before trying to repossess a property. For example, they may agree to change or lengthen the term of the loan; accept reduced payments in the short term or add the debt to the amount borrowed.
	Customers facing repossession who cannot meet their mortgage payments may be able to use the Mortgage Rescue Scheme.
	The Government are continuing to explore with mortgage lenders the scope for them to "freeze" benefit claimants' mortgage accounts and apply a standard interest rate for a fixed period.

Poverty: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children he expects to be living in poverty in each of the next five years.

Maria Miller: The Government have not forecast how many children they expect to be in poverty each year. Child poverty is dependent on a number of factors which are difficult to reliably predict. However, we have published analysis to show that the measures that can be robustly assessed from the spending review and June Budget will not lead to a measurable increase in child poverty over the next two years. Furthermore, the Government expect the impact of universal credit to lift 350,000 children out of poverty by 2018.
	The Government remain committed to their goal of ending child poverty by 2020.

Remploy: Clydebank

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcomes of the review of Remploy on the operation of the Remploy frontline textiles facility in Clydebank.

Maria Miller: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Wrexham (Ian Lucas) on 26 October 2010,  Official Report, column 195W.

Social Security Benefits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans there are for staff of  (a) HM Revenue and Customs administering tax credits and  (b) local government staff administering housing benefit after the implementation of the proposed universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Over time, the financial support currently delivered by HMRC and local authorities through tax credits and housing benefit will be replaced by universal credit. This process will not be completed until universal credit is fully in place, around four years after implementation begins in 2013. The extent of the changes and efficiencies will depend on the eventual design of universal credit and its delivery.
	I am working closely with my the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke) to ensure a smooth transition to universal credit for both DWP and HMRC. My Department is also working with representatives from the local authority associations on the implications of universal credit for local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales.

Social Security Benefits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households which are entitled to  (a) housing benefit and  (b) council tax benefit are also entitled to tax credits.

Steve Webb: Information on housing benefit and council tax recipients who are also entitled to tax credits is not available.
	The Department does collect information on income from tax credits on the housing benefit/council tax benefit data source (Single Housing Benefit Extract) but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures would incur disproportionate cost.
	Estimates of the size of the entitled population for housing benefit and council tax benefit can be obtained from the National Statistics series 'Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-Up'. The most recent results refer to 2008-09 which were published in June 2010, and are shown in the following table. Estimates of those who are entitled but not receiving are based on the Family Resources Survey and are presented as ranges to account for the inherent uncertainty in survey data.
	
		
			  Thousand 
			 Entitled non-recipients  Entitled population 
			Recipients  Lower  Upper  Lower  Upper 
			 Housing benefit Pensioners 1,510 220 380 1,730 1,890 
			  Non-pensioners 2,530 440 820 2,970 3,350 
			  Total 4,030 680 1,180 4,710 5,210 
			
			 Council tax benefit Pensioners 2,520 1,430 1,970 3,950 4,490 
			  Non-pensioners 2,490 590 990 3,080 3,480 
			  Total 5,010 2,130 2,930 7,140 7,940 
			  Source: Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up 2008-09.

Social Security Benefits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely change in levels of benefit take-up following the introduction of the universal credit in  (a) 2013-14 and  (b) 2014-15.

Steve Webb: We expect universal credit to improve take-up in two ways. First, universal credit will be much simpler than the existing arrangements, so it will be easier for people to understand whether they have an entitlement. Secondly, universal credit replaces support that is currently provided through a number of different benefits and tax credits. Under the current system people need to claim separately for these different benefits whereas in universal credit this support will be available through a single claim.
	Departmental estimates suggest that once universal credit has been fully implemented over 80% of people will take-up their full entitlement to universal credit, which translates to over 90% of overall potential universal credit expenditure.
	This is a significant improvement on take-up under the current system:
	
		
			  Benefit/Tax Credit  Caseload take-up rate 
			 Income support and income-related employment and support allowance 78-90 
			 Housing benefit (including local housing authority) 77-86 
			 Council tax benefit 63-70 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 47-59 
			 Child tax credit 79-84 
			 Working tax credit 55-59 
		
	
	After the introduction of universal credit there will be a number of years of transition as existing cases migrate to the new system. The information requested could not be estimated for this transition period without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the household benefit cap to be implemented in 2013 is to apply to households in temporary accommodation.

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether households in temporary accommodation and in receipt of local housing allowance will be affected by the proposed upper limit on benefit entitlement.

Steve Webb: The current assumption is that the upper limit on benefit entitlement will apply to all housing benefit recipients, including those in non-mainstream accommodation such as temporary accommodation.

Welfare State: Public Expenditure

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the amount of public expenditure allocated to welfare in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2011,  (c) 2012,  (d) 2013 and  (e) 2014.

Chris Grayling: The Office for Budget Responsibility published benefit forecasts on 29 November.
	The information is available in table 1.4 at
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/d/fiscal_supplementary_tables_291110.xls
	Detailed benefit expenditure tables are in preparation and will be published in due course at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure

Winter Fuel Payments

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects winter fuel payments to be made in respect of winter 2010-11.

Steve Webb: In respect of winter 2010-11, the despatch of winter fuel payments began on 8 November 2010 and will continue until June 2011. Customers who are not in receipt of a benefit and who do not, therefore, automatically qualify for a winter fuel payment, have until 30 March 2011 to make their claim. This means that we will not be able to provide exact numbers until the end of June 2011.
	However, most payments, including those for customers who automatically qualify, will be made by the end of December 2010. Approximately 11 million payments have been issued to date.
	For winter 2009-10 12.8 million payments were made and 99.9% of customers who automatically qualify for a winter fuel payment, received their payments by 31 December 2009.

HEALTH

Compulsory Redundancy: NHS

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of posts and compulsory redundancies in the NHS of the outcomes of the spending review.

Simon Burns: The Government have fulfilled their commitment to give the NHS a real-terms increase in funding each year. However, the NHS must make up to £20 billion of efficiency savings by 2014, through reducing bureaucracy and working differently. Every penny saved will be reinvested to support better outcomes for patients, with NHS trusts and foundation trusts making decisions regarding their own staff, based on the services needed locally and informed by sound clinical advice and patient choice.

NHS Funding

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the NHS Confederation on the effects on NHS services of reductions in local government funding.

Andrew Lansley: I have regular discussions with key national stakeholders, including the NHS Confederation, at which a full range of topics are discussed.

NHS Reorganisation

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Royal College of General Practitioners on his proposals for reorganisation of the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Lansley: I have regular discussions with key national organisations, including the Royal College of General Practitioners, relating to the Government's long-term vision for the NHS.

Community Contract Tendering

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the operation of the tendering process for NHS community contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The tendering of community services is a matter for local commissioners.
	We have published clear guidance to primary care trusts which they are required to follow when using procurement to improve services for patients.

Newark Hospital

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future provision of services at Newark hospital.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for the local NHS. This Government believe decisions about changes to health services must be led locally by clinicians and patients, not decided by managers behind closed doors or centrally imposed by politicians.

Elective Surgery

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely average waiting time for elective surgery as at 31 March 2011.

Simon Burns: The national health service needs to deliver the best care for patients-the right treatment at the right time in the right place.
	Clinical priority will remain the main determinant of when patients should be treated.

Dementia

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what priority is given to the allocation of funding from his Department's research budget for research which may lead to improvements in the detection and treatment of dementia.

Paul Burstow: Dementia devastates the lives of thousands of people in this country. The coalition's programme for government specifically noted our intention to prioritise dementia research-recognising the key role of research in developing improved detection and treatment options. The recent spending review confirmed that the Department of Health will increase spending on health research in real terms.

Aortic Aneurysm: Screening

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been screened for abnormal aortic aneurysms in each NHS hospital since 2000.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold this data centrally. However, since the phased introduction of the NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme in 2009, 37,227 men have been screened to date. Full national roll out of the screening programme is expected to be completed by the end of 2012-13.
	The following table shows the number of men screened in programmes that are currently offering screening to men aged 65 for AAA:
	
		
			  Current provider  Total subjects 
			 Gloucester AAA Screening Programme 5,581 
			 Heart of England AAA Screening Programme 1,691 
			 Leicester AAA Screening Programme 6,486 
			 Manchester AAA Screening Programme 5,613 
			 North Central London AAA Screening Programme 114 
			 South Devon AAA Screening Programme 5,839 
			 South West London Programme 5,834 
			 West Sussex AAA Screening Programme 6,069 
			 Total 37,227 
			  Source: Data provided by the NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme

Blood: Hepatitis

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham of 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 761W, on contaminated blood products: compensation, on what date he plans to report the outcome of the review of payments for hepatitis C infection.

Anne Milton: We expect the review to be completed before Christmas 2010, but a date for announcing the outcome of the review is yet to be agreed.

Dental Services

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Secretary of State has made of the adequacy of provision of dentistry services on the NHS.

Simon Burns: Primary care trusts are currently responsible for commissioning sufficient primary care dentistry to meet local demand. Under the proposals set out in the White Paper "Equity and Excellence Liberating the NHS", the NHS Commissioning Board would, subject to the outcome of consultation and parliamentary approval, take on responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry and, if locally required, increasing those services to meet demand.
	The latest statistics on access to national health service dentistry show that in the 24 months up to 30 September 2010, 28.7 million individuals saw an NHS dentist (55.8% of the population), an increase of 242,000 since May 2010. The GP Patient survey for April-June 2010 found that 93% of people who tried to make an appointment with an NHS dentist in the previous two years said they had been successful.

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken since his appointment to reduce expenditure on conferences from budgets within his responsibility.

Simon Burns: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced a package of departmental measures in May that are designed to deliver efficiency savings of some £6 billion in the current financial year. These measures include a freeze on communications, marketing and advertising, the definition of which includes expenditure on conferences.
	In response to the introduction of these measures the Department of Health has implemented a range of controls which includes the establishment of a 'Communications Control Panel' which scrutinises business cases from within the Department and its arm's length bodies. Beyond delegated limits, Cabinet Office approval has to be sought.
	For this financial year we are forecasting a reduction of £90 million in expenditure on communications, advertising and marketing of which conferences form part.

Departmental Management Consultants

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on management consultancy in respect of the  (a) cancer pathways and  (b) world class commissioning programme.

Simon Burns: The Department has not directly funded management consultancy in respect of the cancer pathways. The National Cancer Action Team and NHS Improvement are taking forward projects relating to national cancer pathways, and this work may include the use of management consultants where appropriate. Information relating to such expenditure is not held centrally.
	During financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10 the Department spent £10,243,701.51 (including VAT) on management consultancy in respect of world class commissioning. The current Government are not continuing with this programme.

Departmental Overtime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on overtime for staff working within his private office in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The information requested would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	Since 2008 an allowance has been paid to junior private office staff in lieu of overtime payments. The number of staff in the Secretary of State's private office has varied over that time and has not been recorded centrally. However it is currently lower than in recent years. Since August 2010 this information has been recorded centrally. Currently nine junior staff receive a total of £58,519 per annum as a private office allowance.

Departmental Publications

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on printing  (a) Command Papers,  (b) papers laid before Parliament by Act,  (c) consultation documents and  (d) other papers in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: The requested information is not held centrally and could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of questions to his Department tabled in the  (a) House of Commons and  (b) House of Lords that remained unanswered after 10 working days as a result of observation of guidance on the timing of answers to similar questions tabled to more than one Department in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Guidance to Departments states that they should not delay preparing an answer to a parliamentary question until 'round robin' advice is provided and should not miss the targets for similar reasons. We do not record details of the reasons for delays in answering particular questions but from the start of this session until 19 November we have answered 98% of named day questions on the date specified, 95% of Commons ordinary questions within five sitting days and 90% of Lords written questions within 10 working days.

NHS Commissioning Board

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 November 2010,  Official Report, column 765W, on commissioning of National Specialised Services, by what process he plans to determine which specialised services he will ask the NHS Commissioning Board to commission; what criteria relating to those services he plans to use in making his decisions; and whether he plans to undertake consultation to inform his decisions.

Simon Burns: Issues around the identification of services which the National Health Service Commissioning Board will commission will be taken forward as part of the detailed design work for the board.

Savernake Hospital: PFI

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the total running costs for Savernake hospital was paid to the private finance initiative provider in each year from 2005 to 2009; and what percentage of the total running costs are expected to be paid to the private finance initiative provider in  (a) 2010 and  (b) 2011.

Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. However, data for net operating expenses for Wiltshire primary care trust (PCT) in respect of its private finance initiative (PFI) scheme for Savernake hospital is set out in the following table.
	Data is not held centrally for 2010-11 or 2011-12.
	
		
			  Wiltshire PCT: Proportion of total net operating costs relating to PFI 
			   Percentage of total revenue expenditure relating to PFI 
			 2005-06 0.1 
			 2006-07 0.1 
			 2007-08 0.1 
			 2008-09 0.1 
			 2009-10 0.1 
			  Notes: 1. The percentages provided represent the net operating expenses in respect of PFI schemes as a proportion of total net operating costs. 2. 2005-06 to 2008-09 figures compiled under UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. 3. 2009-10 figures were compiled under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) under which PFI costs in the audited summarisation schedules of trusts are split between capital repayments and revenue expenditure elements, which does not make a precise like for like comparison with earlier years in this table possible. However, an estimate of the PFI unitary payment for 2009-10 is held centrally by the Department as well as the audited outturn for the net operating costs for the PCT for this year; an estimated percentage figure for this year has therefore been calculated using these two figures.  Source: Audited summarisation schedules of the PCT for 2005-06 to 2009-10.

South London Healthcare NHS Trust: Manpower

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department holds information on the proportion of staff employed by South London Healthcare NHS Trust who are  (a) non-medical staff,  (b) administrators,  (c) managers and  (d) senior managers.

Simon Burns: Information is not collected in the format requested.
	The following table provides the numbers of national health service staff employed in the South London Healthcare NHS Trust by main staff groups as at 30 September 2009.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: NHS staff in the South London Healthcare NHS Trust by main staff group, as at 30 September 2009 
			Percentage 
			 All NHS staff  100 
			
			 Medical and dental staff Hospital and community health services doctors and dentists(1) 12.8 
			
			 All non-medical staff  87.2 
			  Of which: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 37.6 
			  Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical 10.3 
			  Support to clinical staff(2) 14.8 
			  Support to scientific, therapeutic and technical staff(3) 3.9 
			  Maintenance and works 0.4 
			
			  Administrative and clerical staff 18.5 
			  Central functions(4) 8.4 
			  Hotel, property and estates(5) 0.2 
			  Scientific, therapeutic, and technical support(6) 1.6 
			  Clinical support(7) 8.3 
			  Ambulance service support 0.0 
			
			  Manager 0.9 
			  Senior manager 0.8 
			 (1) Excludes hospital practitioners and clinical assistants in headcount, most of these also work as a general practitioner.  (2) Nurse learners, nursery nurse, nursing assistant/auxiliary, health care assistant, support worker.  (3) Assistant practitioner, assistant, student/trainee.  (4) Central functions, this group includes areas such as personnel, finance, information technology, legal services, library services, health education and general management support services.  (5) Hotel, property and estates, this group includes clerical and administrative staff working in areas such as laundry, catering, domestic services and gardens.  (6) Scientific, therapeutic and technical support staff, such as radiography receptionists, medical records officers and medical secretaries.  (7) Clinical support includes clerical and administrative staff and maintenance and works staff working specifically in clinical areas, for example medical secretaries and medical records officers.   Notes:  1. All percentages are as a percentage of 'All NHS staff in the Trust, which numbered 7,111 on 30 September 2009. 2. Percentages are calculated using headcount.  Data Quality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.   Source:  The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Southern Cross Healthcare

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Southern Cross Healthcare on the continuation of contracts with local authorities for the provision of care for residents.

Paul Burstow: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 2 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1014W.

Stem Cells: Research

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has provided for stem cell research projects since 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The latest available figures are for the financial year 2009-10.
	Total spend on stem cell research in the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Units and Biomedical Research Centres in financial year 2009-10 was £2,745,516.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Redundancy Pay

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2010,  Official Report, column 654W, on redundancy: Audit Commission, what the cost to the public purse was of each payment to the Director of Communications and Public Reporting of the Audit Commission on his departure from post on grounds of redundancy; how many other directors have left on similar terms in the last three years; and at what cost.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
	 Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 7 December 2010:
	Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
	My response to your earlier Parliamentary Question (Answer of 3 December 2010, Official Report, column 1055W) explained that the Audit Commission's former Managing Director for Communications and Public Reporting received a redundancy payment of £10,178.54 gross, plus eight weeks payment in lieu of notice of £20,357.08 gross.
	The cost to the public purse was therefore £10,178.54, plus £20,357.08
	There were no other costs to the public purse in relation to this.
	No other Directors have left the Commission in similar terms in the last three years.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its predecessors spent on press cuttings services in each year since 1997.

Bob Neill: The Department does not retain spend data relating to press cuttings services for the full period in question.
	The Department's accounting system records the following expenditure data for the last two complete financial years and expenditure to date in 2010-11 by the Communication Directorate:
	
		
			  Organisation  2008 -09  2009 -10 ( 1) 2010-11 
			 Durrants (National press cuttings agency) 159,570 132,300 33,729.48 
			 Precise (formerly EDS) (Regional press cuttings agency) 28,015.04 37,450.78 22,127.49 
			 Total 187,585.04 169,750.78 55,856.97 
			 (1) Spend to date 
		
	
	For information related to spend on press cuttings services in 2005-2008, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my right hon. Friend the right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) on 29 October 2008,  Official Report, 1138W.
	In September 2010 the regional cuttings service was cancelled and the national cuttings service moved to an electronic only format with a limited list of recipients. Neither DCLG Ministers nor officials in the Department now receive hard copy press cuttings. Ministers have taken the view that an excessive and unnecessary amount of taxpayers' money was being spent on press cuttings.
	The Department estimates that the cancellation of the regional cuttings service and streamlining of the national cuttings service will save approximately £16,000 and £19,000 respectively in the remainder of this financial year.

Departmental Travel

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on grey fleet in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Bob Neill: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   Annual cost (£)( 1) 
			 2008-09 99,776.31 
			 2009-10 95,462.11 
			 (1 )Annual cost includes mileage expense in passenger and luggage allowance

EU Grants and Loans

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the delivery of the North East England 2007-2013 European Regional Development Fund Competitiveness programme after March 2011.

Bob Neill: I have worked closely with my colleagues on the future delivery of economic development and the European Regional Development Fund. My Department is the Managing Authority for English European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes and is therefore responsible for the delivery of the North East ERDF programme after 2011. My officials have been holding ongoing discussions with their colleagues in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills about the arrangements for transferring the intermediate body functions from the Regional Development Agencies.

EU Grants and Loans

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department is to receive all outstanding funds from the current European Regional Development Fund.

Bob Neill: Yes, we expect to receive and spend all the funds that have been allocated to England from the European Regional Development Fund during the current 2007-13 programming period.

Fire Services

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 8 November 2010,  Official Report, column 2WS, on the fire and rescue service, which disruptions to fire and rescue services would trigger a business continuity plan; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to  (a) metropolitan,  (b) combined and  (c) shire fire authorities of developing and implementing such a plan.

Bob Neill: Fire and rescue authorities, as Category 1 responders under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, have a statutory duty to have business continuity management plans in place for emergencies. A range of disruptions could result in fire and rescue authorities triggering business continuity plans. In their recent report, 'Business Continuity in the Fire and Rescue Service', the Audit Commission identified a number of possible causes of disruption including extreme weather, industrial action, a flu pandemic, information communications technology failures, power cuts and fires.
	I have made no estimate of the average cost of making business continuity arrangements to fire and rescue services.

Homelessness: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the number of people who are homeless in Milton Keynes.

Grant Shapps: Information about local authorities' discharge of their duties under homelessness legislation is collected on quarterly PIE returns. Summary information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library of the House and via the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available and this information is also collected.
	Information is also collected on rough sleeping. Since 1998, only councils in areas with a known, or suspected, rough sleeping problem were required to conduct an official rough sleeper count-which meant that only 70 councils submitted information to central Government. Figures published in July 2010 showed that under this previous method, on any given night there were 440 rough sleepers in England. However, when the remaining 256 councils provided estimates of the scale of the problem in their areas, this added a further estimated 807 rough sleepers-taking the national total to 1,247 rough sleepers on any given night.
	Under new guidance all councils across England will now provide information on rough sleeping. This move follows consultation with homelessness charities and councils and is aimed at getting a clearer picture of the scale of the problem in each area so more targeted support can be provided to some of the most vulnerable in society.
	Rough sleeping figures are published by the Department on the CLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/roughsleepingcount2010

Housing: Construction

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of the High Court ruling on regional housing targets on his Department's instruction to councils that they should no longer take account of such targets when considering individual planning applications.

Greg Clark: I am placing in the Library a copy of the advice that we have published on my Department's website on the status of the Chief Planner's letter to local authorities.

Housing: Insulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 27 July 2010,  Official Report, column 888W, on insulation: housing, what monitoring he plans to undertake to assess whether his expectation that home insulation measures will continue to play a central role under the Government's new Green Deal programme is met.

Charles Hendry: I have been asked to reply.
	Through the Energy Bill, we will seek the powers to enable us to require regular reporting on the measures, including insulation, delivered under the Green Deal and a new Energy Company Obligation.

Listed Buildings: Theatres

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to protect listed theatre buildings from unscrupulous developers.

Bob Neill: The protection of listed buildings, including theatres, is a matter for local planning authorities. The Theatres Trust is consulted on any applications for planning permission affecting a theatre.
	A listed building may not be demolished, or altered in a way that would affect its special architectural or historic interest, without the consent of the local planning authority. Failure to obtain consent is an offence carrying a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment or a £20,000 fine, or both, on summary conviction, or of two years' imprisonment or an unlimited fine, or both, on conviction on indictment.
	Local planning authorities may also issue a listed building enforcement notice if any works that require consent are being or have been undertaken without consent. The notice may require the restoration of the building, mitigation of the effects of the works or compliance with any listed building consent that may be in force. Failure to comply with a listed building enforcement notice is an offence carrying a maximum penalty of a £20,000 fine on summary conviction, or an unlimited fine on conviction on indictment. The local planning authority also has the power to take the steps required by the enforcement notice if it has not been complied with in the time allowed and to recover their expenses from the owner.
	Local authorities have powers to serve a repairs notice on an owner who fails to take reasonable steps to preserve a listed building. If the notice is not complied with, compulsory purchase powers are available to enable the authority to secure the building's preservation.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an estimate of the gross domestic product that would be generated as a result of the activity of local enterprise partnerships.

Bob Neill: The recent Local Growth: realising every place's potential White Paper explained that local enterprise partnerships are one of several policies that we are promoting in terms of a new approach to local growth. It states that the Government will judge its overarching economic policy on whether it delivers strong, sustainable and balanced growth of income and employment over the long-term.
	Individual partnerships will be directly accountable to their local communities as to how they achieve their local economies priorities. Therefore, the Government will not be estimating the amount of additional gross domestic product that would be generated as a result of the creation of local enterprise partnerships.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for collaboration between local authorities and businesses within different local enterprise partnerships.

Bob Neill: As set out in the Local Growth White Paper published on 28 October, Government wish to encourage cooperation between local enterprise partnerships where this would result in a more efficient use of resources and secure a better outcome than operating in isolation. This cooperation need not be restricted to neighbouring partnerships and will be particularly important where partnerships share a common interest, such as the need to support important industrial clusters. The aerospace industry, for example, has important clusters in both the north west and the south west of England. The Government will also encourage groups of partnerships which contain key sector clusters to work collaboratively with the relevant national industry bodies. Likewise it will encourage collaboration around particular themes, for example, tourism.

Local Government Finance

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is the policy of the Audit Commission that local authorities should hold no more than five per cent. of their income in reserves.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 6 December 2010,  Official Report, column 56W.
	 Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 7 December 2010:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The Audit Commission does not have such a policy. It is the responsibility of the individual authority to determine its own policies on reserves, and it would be inappropriate for either the Commission itself, or the independent auditors it appoints, to recommend to a local authority the level of reserves that it should hold.
	In addition each authority's chief financial officer (the officer with specific responsibility for financial matters under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972) is required to report if there are concerns about the robustness of the estimates made for the calculations and adequacy of the proposed financial reserves.
	The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has issued professional guidance on this matter in its Local Authority Accounting Panel (LAAP) Bulletin 77, 'Local Authority Reserves and Balances', which was issued in November 2008.
	Under section 5(1)(e) of the Audit Commission Act, auditors have a duty to satisfy themselves that each local authority has made proper arrangements for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources. Auditors are required to do so by reference to criteria specified by the Commission.
	For 2010/11, the specified criteria include whether the authority has proper arrangements for securing financial resilience, and so the auditor will consider whether the authority has arrangements for determining its policies on reserves. This will include considering whether the authority has robust financial systems and processes to manage effectively financial risks and opportunities and to secure a stable financial position that enables it to continue to operate for the foreseeable future.

Local Government: Publicity

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provision his proposed revision to the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity will make in respect of unnecessary expenditure on publicity by local authorities.

Bob Neill: A principal purpose of the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity is to ensure that local authority publicity is value for money for the taxpayer, and the revisions we are proposing to the code are to primarily to ensure that the present wasteful expenditure on lobbyists and local authority newspapers is ended.
	These changes will strengthen local democracy by preventing unfair competition to an independent local press, and stopping the corrosive practice of shadowy lobbyist using public funds to lobby for special favours and more regulation.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

Grant Shapps: Over 2 million deposits worth £1.88 billion are currently protected in one of the three tenancy deposit protection schemes. Although some landlords continue to have reservations, the majority have found access to a free adjudication service under the schemes helpful in resolving disputes. At the same time, tenants welcome the increased security the schemes offer to their money. In view of this, the Government are committed to ensuring that tenancy deposit protection continues in future. In this context, we will be taking steps to put in place new insurance schemes when the existing agreements expire in 2013. The current custodial scheme will be in place to 2016.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will direct the Planning Inspectorate to take no further action on appeals in relation to Gypsy and Traveller sites until the outcome of the review of his Department's planning circular ODPM 01/2006 is implemented.

Bob Neill: We want to move expeditiously but subject to proper process in relation to our intention to withdraw Circular 01/2006.
	The Planning Inspectorate does not routinely place appeals into abeyance because of prospective policy changes. If someone wishes a particular appeal to be placed in abeyance then they should write to the Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate will then review the case to see if abeyance is appropriate.
	Circular 01/2006 is currently extant but decision makers are entitled to have regard to the fact that it is proposed to withdraw it.

Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the number of questions to his Department tabled in the  (a) House of Commons and  (b) House of Lords that remained unanswered after 10 working days as a result of observation of guidance on the timing of answers to similar questions tabled to more than one Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Guidance on the handling of similar questions tabled to more than one Department ("round robin" parliamentary questions) is provided to Departments in a "Guide to Parliamentary Work" on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/parliamentary-clerk-guide.aspx
	In the 2010-11 Session, five "round robin" questions tabled in the House of Commons to my Department have been answered after 10 working days. There have been no such cases in the House of Lords.

JUSTICE

Arrest Warrants

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the comments received from  (a) individuals,  (b) organisations and  (c) foreign governments on his Department's note of 20 March 2010 on arrest warrants-universal jurisdiction.

Crispin Blunt: Copies of the paper "Arrest warrants-universal jurisdiction" and comments on it have been placed in the Library.

Assisted Prison Visits Unit

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure his Department incurred on the Assisted Prison Visits Unit in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Expenditure on assisted prison visits for each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   APVS  Administration costs 
			 2009-10 2,343,132 673,424 
			 2008-09 2,171,000 710,000 
			 2007-08 2,170,000 693,000 
			 2006-07 1,941,000 697,000 
			 2005-06 1,973,000 680,000 
		
	
	The Assisted Prison Visits Unit comprises the Assisted Prison Visits scheme (APVS), the NOMS Prisoner Location Service (PLS) and the NOMS Victim helpline (VH).

Association of British Insurers

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on what dates  (a) he,  (b) Ministers and  (c) officials in his Department have had discussions with representatives of the Association of British Insurers since his appointment;
	(2)  what representations on civil justice issues he has received from the Association of British Insurers since his appointment  (a) prior to and  (b) since the publication of the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper.

Jonathan Djanogly: I met with representatives of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on 29 July. My officials have held various discussions with the ABI as with other parties representing claimant and defendant interests in order to seek data and other information in relation to the consultation 'Proposals for Reform of Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations', published on 15 November 2010.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) total and  (b) average annual amount that claimants who do not have to contribute towards the costs of their claims would have to contribute following implementation of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the annual number of claimants who do not have to contribute towards the costs of their claims and would have to do so as the consequence of implementation of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper; and what estimate he has made of the number of such claimants who would consequently be deterred from bringing claims;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the annual number of clinical negligence cases dealt with under  (a) fast-track and  (b) multi-track procedures which qualified for funding through legal aid under existing criteria in the last 12 months which would not so qualify under the proposals in the Legal Aid Green Paper;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on provision of legal advice for  (a) clinical negligence,  (b) personal injury cases and  (c) small business disputes of the proposals in (i) the Legal Aid Green Paper and (ii) the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(5)  with reference to the impact assessment on the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper, what estimate he has made of the likely monetary benefit to the liability insurance industry arising from reduced  (a) costs and  (b) damages payments attributable to implementation of the Green Paper proposals;
	(6)  with reference to the impact assessment for the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper, what estimate he has made of the average change in  (a) damages awarded to claimants and  (b) costs claimed by lawyers of claimants;
	(7)  what assessment he has made of the consequences for  (a) the viability of after-the-event insurance and  (b) the effect on civil litigation of a reduction in the use of after-the-event insurance of implementation of the proposals for qualified one way costs shifting in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(8)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on levels of premiums for after-the-event insurance if recoverability is limited to liability disputed cases in the post protocol period under the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(9)  what estimate he has made of the likely cost per case to a claimant of obtaining independent legal advice on a damages-based agreement under his proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(10)  what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of operating a regulatory system for the damages-based agreements proposed in his Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(11)  what estimate he has made of the likely average reduction in court costs attributable to the proportionality test proposed in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(12)  what estimate he has made of the likely monetary value of the uplift of 10 per cent. on general damages as proposed in his Department's Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper in respect of an average  (a) employers' liability and  (b) road traffic fast-track personal injury claim.

Jonathan Djanogly: A set of impact assessments were published alongside both 'Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales' and 'Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations', which include a preliminary assessment of the impact of individual proposals. The preliminary impact assessments can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations.htm
	and respondents are invited to comment on the preliminary impacts identified.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what maximum guideline hourly rate he proposes following implementation of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper.

Jonathan Djanogly: Guideline hourly rates are set by the Master of the Rolls taking account of advice received from the Advisory Committee on Civil Costs. I have to date made no assessment of Lord Justice Jackson's recommendations in relation to the setting of guideline hourly rates.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the annual number of claims brought by small businesses against larger suppliers or customers  (a) under conditional fee agreements and  (b) supported by after-the-event insurance;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the annual number of claims brought by individual claimants in cases other than those of personal injury  (a) under conditional fee agreements and  (b) with the support of after-the-event insurance;
	(3)  how much has been recovered through benefit recoupment from personal injury claims  (a) in total and  (b) in respect of (i) road traffic accident, (ii) employers (A) disease and (B) other liability cases, (iii) occupiers' liability, (iv) other public liability and (v) clinical negligence cases in each of the last three years;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the change in the level of Exchequer revenue from value added tax receipts consequent on the implementation of the proposals in the  (a) Legal Aid and  (b) Civil Litigation Funding Green Papers;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the annual number of occupational disease cases brought under  (a) fast-track and  (b) multi-track arrangements and (i) pursued under conditional fee agreements and (ii) covered by after-the-event insurance that will not be brought as a result of implementation of his proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the likely irreducible minimum level of disbursement in a fast-track road traffic accident claim in respect of  (a) medical evidence,  (b) police report and  (c) court fees under the proposals his Department's Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(7)  whether he has made an estimate of the likely effect on the number of law firms which handle personal injury claims of the implementation of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(8)  whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects on the legal services provided by  (a) trade unions and  (b) membership organisations of the implementation of his proposal to end collective conditional fee agreements;
	(9)  how many and what proportion of the cases which resulted in recoupment of benefits were  (a) funded under conditional fee agreements and  (b) underwritten by after the event insurance;
	(10)  what estimate he has made of the change in revenue accruing to the Department for Work and Pensions from benefit recoupment consequent on the implementation of the proposals in the  (a) Legal Aid and  (b) Civil Litigation Funding Green Papers.

Jonathan Djanogly: No assessment has been made in relation to the above areas. The preliminary impact assessments for "Proposals for Reform of Legal Aid", and "Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales" can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations.htm
	and respondents are invited to comment on the preliminary impacts identified.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will estimate the annual number of employer's liability accident cases brought under  (a) fast-track and  (b) multi-track arrangements which qualify for (i) conditional fee agreements and (ii) after-the-event insurance support that would not be brought as a result of his proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(2)  if he will estimate the annual number of occupier and public liability accident cases under  (a) fast-track and  (b) multi-track arrangements which qualify for (i) conditional fee agreements and (ii) after-the-event insurance support through legal aid that would not be brought as a result of his proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(3)  if he will estimate the annual number of road traffic accident cases under  (a) fast-track and  (b) multi-track arrangements which qualify for (i) conditional fee agreements and (ii) after-the-event insurance support through legal aid that would not be brought as a result of his proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the number of cases of injuries of maximum severity pursued under multi-track arrangements supported by after-the-event insurance that will not be brought after implementation of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(5)  if he will estimate the annual number of clinical negligence cases under  (a) fast-track and  (b) multi-track arrangements which qualify for (i) conditional fee agreement funding through legal aid and (ii) after-the-event insurance support that would not be brought as a result of his proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper.

Jonathan Djanogly: It is not possible to make a detailed estimate in these areas, as this will depend, in part, on the individual decisions of claimants, defendants, lawyers and insurers on a case-by-case basis. The preliminary impact assessments can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations.htm
	and respondents are invited to comment on the preliminary impacts identified.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely  (a) extent,  (b) availability and  (c) cost of the (i) stand-alone and (ii) general before-the-event insurance proposed in his Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper to families of (A) average income and (B) below-average income;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely restrictions on liability to a policy holder  (a) generally and  (b) for legal costs in the before-the-event insurance policies proposed as alternative sources of legal funding in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation paper 'Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations' does not propose any specific action in relation to before the event insurance, other than that the Government support Lord Justice Jackson's encouragement of the expansion of the before the event insurance market. For this reason, no specific assessment has been made.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what level of means he proposes as that which will entitle  (a) a claimant to benefit from and  (b) a defendant to avoid the qualified one way costs shifting proposed in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(2)  at what rate he proposes to fix success fees for each type of case to which such fees will apply.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation paper, 'Proposals for Reform of Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations', published on 15 November 2010, sets out proposals on qualified one way costs shifting and conditional fee agreement success fees and we await responses in order to be able to take a view on the way forward on these issues.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much he expects to recover annually from interest on solicitors' client accounts in  (a) cash terms and  (b) as a proportion of the legal aid budget as the consequence of implementation of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper.

Jonathan Djanogly: As stated in the Green Paper, it has not been possible to quantify the level of income such a scheme might generate, as there are no centrally collected data on the sums of money currently held in such accounts in England and Wales.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the judiciary on potential changes to the number of litigants-in-person arising from the implementation of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Secretary of State for Justice and I have discussed the proposals in our consultation paper, 'Proposals for Reform of Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations', published on 15 November 2010, with the senior judiciary on a number of occasions.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of compliance of the proposals in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper with Articles 6 and 14 of the European convention on human rights on the rights of people with injuries of maximum severity.

Jonathan Djanogly: I believe that Lord Justice Jackson's proposals are compatible with the convention rights, and the consultation paper, 'Proposals for Reform of Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations', published on 15 November 2010, seeks views on potential impacts on claimants in catastrophic injury cases.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the evidential basis for the inclusion of the provision for  (a) recoverability of conditional fee agreement success fees and  (b) after-the-event insurance premiums in the Access to Justice Act 1999.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department is not aware of any such information other than is already in the public domain.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has had discussions with after-the-event insurers on the financial liability of the proposal in the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper for recovery of after-the-event premiums for disbursements.

Jonathan Djanogly: I held a roundtable on 2 December 2010 with relevant parties representing claimant and defendant interests on our consultation paper, 'Proposals for Reform of Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations', published on 15 November 2010, including two representatives of after the event insurers. My officials held a number of meetings over the summer with 14 representatives of after the event insurers in order to seek data and other information in relation to the consultation.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of access to justice of the implementation of  (a) conditional fee agreement and  (b) after-the-event insurance policies under the Access to Justice Act 1999.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government's assessment of the effect of the CFA reforms introduced by the Access to Justice Act 1999 is set out in the consultation paper 'Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations'. Preliminary impact assessments were published alongside the consultation paper, they can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations.htm
	and respondents are invited to comment on the preliminary impacts indentified.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the extent of the use of (i) conditional fee agreements and (ii) after the event insurance prior to the implementation of the Access to Justice Act 1999.

Jonathan Djanogly: None.

Community Orders

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of community payback sentences in each probation board area was completed in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Community payback completion rates have been part of the formal suite of performance indicators and management information for NOMS since April 2007. The figures for each probation board for the three years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of community payback requirements which were successfully completed 
			  Percentage 
			  Probation board  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 62 64 69 
			 Bedfordshire 72 75 71 
			 Cambridgeshire 66 69 76 
			 Cheshire 69 72 78 
			 County Durham 71 71 77 
			 Cumbria 69 73 75 
			 Derbyshire 72 73 73 
			 Devon and Cornwall 70 78 76 
			 Dorset 73 75 81 
			 Dyfed Powys 73 74 80 
			 Essex 75 75 77 
			 Gloucestershire 73 77 87 
			 Greater Manchester 62 66 73 
			 Gwent 61 66 73 
			 Hampshire 73 76 78 
			 Hertfordshire 76 71 74 
			 Humberside 66 71 72 
			 Kent 63 73 76 
			 Lancashire 62 67 73 
			 Leicestershire 80 74 76 
			 Lincolnshire 65 64 71 
			 London 70 71 72 
			 Merseyside 67 83 76 
			 Norfolk 62 70 75 
			 North Wales 78 79 84 
			 North Yorkshire 75 79 84 
			 Northamptonshire 82 78 78 
			 Northumbria 62 75 82 
			 Nottinghamshire 68 72 77 
			 South Wales 72 72 72 
			 South Yorkshire 66 69 74 
			 Staffordshire 68 75 76 
			 Suffolk 68 72 69 
			 Surrey 78 77 78 
			 Sussex 68 76 79 
			 Teesside 72 70 74 
			 Thames Valley 67 70 70 
			 Warwickshire 71 72 74 
			 West Mercia 76 73 75 
			 West Midlands 69 69 69 
			 West Yorkshire 63 70 79 
			 Wiltshire 64 67 74 
			 England and Wales 68 72 74 
			  Data  Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Convictions

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people received a guilty verdict in court in (a) 1999 and  (b) 2009;
	(2)  how many people were found guilty in court of an indictable offence in  (a) 1999 and  (b) 2009.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for all offences, and indictable offences, England and Wales 1999 and 2009 can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at all courts for all offences, and indictable offences, England and Wales, 1999 and 2009( 1,2) 
			   1999  2009 
			 All offences 1,398,271 1,398,874 
			  O f which:   
			 Indictable offences 340,656 328,217 
			 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

Coroners: Suicide

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the effect on the recording of statistics on the incidence of suicide of trends in the recording of open verdicts in coroners' inquests in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice publishes annual statistics on the work of coroners in England and Wales, including inquest verdicts returned by coroners during each year.
	Figures for the latest published period, 2009, show that both suicide and open verdicts have fallen in number and prevalence since 2000. Open verdicts returned by coroners in England and Wales have fallen from 2,449 in 2000 (constituting 11% of all verdicts returned during the year) to 2,240 in 2009 (8% of verdicts returned). Suicide verdicts have fallen from 3,626 in 2000 (16% of verdicts) to 3,300 in 2009 (11% of verdicts). The following below shows the complete figures for 2000 till the latest published figures in 2009 for both open and suicide verdicts.
	
		
			  Table 1: Coroner  v erdicts in England and Wales, 2000-09 
			   Suicide  Open verdicts  Total verdicts returned 
			 2000 3,626 2,449 23,088 
			 2001 3,389 2,519 23,617 
			 2002 3,242 2,445 23,423 
			 2003 3,255 2,619 24,259 
			 2004 3,368 2,600 25,494 
			 2005 3,235 2,531 26,814 
			 2006 3,220 2,378 27,547 
			 2007 3,007 2,242 27,360 
			 2008 3,305 2,167 28,996 
			 2009 3,330 2,240 29,781 
		
	
	These statistics are available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/coronersannual.htm
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual statistics on incidences of suicides in England and Wales based on death registration data. These show a fall in the number of suicides over the last 10 years, from 5,069 in 2000 to 4,675 in 2009. Suicide figures are reported by ONS according to the National Statistics definition, which includes deaths where the underlying cause was intentional self-harm or an event of undetermined intent (open verdicts). They do not include children aged under 15 years.

Courts

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the annual number of  (a) (i) trials and (ii) pre-trial hearings which can be held and  (b) proceedings which can be issued by county courts (A) at present and (B) under his proposals for the future number and location of such courts.

Jonathan Djanogly: HM Courts Service data indicate that in the county courts of England and Wales in 2009-10 there were:
	20,514 trials;
	7,963 pre-trial reviews;
	47,621 small claim hearings; and
	5,817 small claim preliminary hearings.
	Closures of county courts under the Government's current proposals are not expected to affect the number of trials that can be held or proceedings that can be issued in those courts. The average number of sitting days per courtroom in the county courts was 130 in 2009-10. If all the proposed closures went ahead and workload transferred to surrounding courts, it is estimated that it would result in an average number of sitting days per courtroom per annum of around 200.
	This essentially should mean that a similar amount of work as is dealt with currently will be heard at a fewer number of courts, not that the number of trials that can be held or proceedings that can be issued will rise or fall.
	Ministry of Justice publishes both annual and quarterly statistics on the numbers of trials and small claim hearings. These statistical bulletins are available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/judicialandcourtstatistics.htm
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/courtstatisticsquarterly.htm

Courts: Skipton

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what timetable has been set for his Department's announcement on the future of Skipton magistrates and Skipton county court.

Jonathan Djanogly: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to him of 11 October 2010,  Official Report, column 137W.

Crime: Finance

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will hold discussions with  (a) the National Association of Probation Officers and  (b) the Police Federation on the effects of budget restraint on the criminal justice system; what representations he has received from each such organisation on funding and criminal justice in the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: As Minister with responsibility for Probation I meet with senior officials of the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO) on a quarterly basis to discuss issues of mutual interest, including the effects of budget restraint on the criminal justice system. I also attended Napo's Annual General Meeting on 8 October 2010 where funding and resources were discussed. In his role as the Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs (Nick Herbert), has regular meetings with the Police Federation at which matters of concern to either party can be raised.

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken since his appointment to reduce expenditure on conferences from budgets within his responsibility.

Jonathan Djanogly: On 24 September the Ministry of Justice issued an instruction to all staff stating that:
	One day seminars and conferences are only permitted on the basis of a strong business case and after exploring ways in which the information gained can be obtained in a different way.
	In addition, the use of outside venues is now only permitted where no other facilities are available and where costs can be minimised.

Departmental Overtime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on overtime for staff working within his private office in each of the last five years.

Kenneth Clarke: The overtime costs for staff working in the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor's private office for the last five years are:
	
		
			   Overtime (£) 
			 2005-6 119,893 
			 2006-7 114,069 
			 2007-8 144,387 
			 2008-9 179,337 
			 2009-10 125,867 
		
	
	The MoJ was created in 2007 from the former Department for Constitutional Affairs and part of the Home Office. The role of private office therefore expanded to include new policy areas and functions.
	In July 2010, overtime was abolished for all private office staff. The overtime costs for 2010-11 (April-July) were £47,478.

Departmental Sponsorship

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was formed in May 2007 from the former Department for Constitutional Affairs and part of the Home Office. The figures provided are from the inception of the MoJ.
	We have interpreted 'sponsorship' as being grants given to external non-government organisations by the Ministry of Justice and its NDPBs. The following is a breakdown of the core department, agencies and NDPBs who have awarded grants since the MoJ's inception.
	
		
			  Organisation  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 MoJHQ £3 billion(1) £3 billion(1) £81 million(2) 
			 NOMS (3)- £4,550,000 £4,500,000 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority £0 £1,217 £120 
			 Youth Justice Board £100 million £109 million £118 million 
			 Legal Services Commission (4)- £3 million £7 million 
			 Total £3.1 billion £3.1 billion £110 million 
			 (1) MoJ HQ's data is from the published resource accounts. Its grants total includes the grant in aid to its NDPBs and other arms length bodies. From 2009-10 this is recorded separately in the resource accounts which explains the apparent drop in grants expenditure. (2) Approximately half of this went to Victim Support. The rest was given to organisations who support survivors of domestic assault, sexual abuse and rape. Other organisations receiving grants work to reduce crime, support those affected by crime, mediation services and debt advice. (3) Data not available (with the Home Office). (4) No comparable data available.

Departmental Travel

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on grey fleet in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Jonathan Djanogly: The MoJ accounting system does not account for travel at that level of detail.
	All non-rail travel is accounted for in an overall travel accounting code. This includes public transport (buses, trams etc.) and authorised taxi expenditure as well as mileage. In order to determine how much MoJ had spent on grey fleet(1) we would have to examine each transaction to determine if it was a grey fleet expense. This would exceed the disproportionate cost limit.
	The MoJ has introduced an iExpenses system that is currently being rolled out across the Department. We anticipate that this will give us more detailed data from financial year 2011-12 onwards.
	(1) Mileage claimed back by staff using their own cars for business.

Legal Costs

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the financial effects on the justice system of litigants who do not qualify for legal aid and do not have the financial means to engage professional representation of appearing in person.

Jonathan Djanogly: Current evidence of the impact of litigants in person on the justice system is limited. We are currently reviewing the existing data and research to inform the final impact assessments that will support the reforms to Legal Aid on which we are currently consulting. While the thrust of these reforms is to reduce recourse to the courts, we recognise that they will also potentially lead to an increase in litigants in person. We consider that the overall effect should not significantly impact on court or tribunal operating costs. There will be a post-implementation review of any reforms.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will publish the  (a) agenda,  (b) minutes and  (c) notes of each meeting he held to consult on the proposals in the Legal Aid Green Paper and the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper;
	(2)  what consultation meetings he  (a) has held and  (b) proposes to hold on the Legal Aid Green Paper and the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper; who (i) was invited to and (ii) attended the meetings already held; and who is to be invited to such meetings yet to be held.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have met with a number of interested parties to discuss the legal aid and civil litigation funding consultations. My officials and I will continue to engage with relevant groups throughout the consultation period. As the consultation is ongoing it would not be appropriate to publish information related to these meetings until all parties have had the opportunity to contribute their views. In line with the Code of Practice on Consultation, a summary of the comments received for each consultation will be published alongside the Government's official response, which is expected in spring 2011.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to publish the outcome of his consultations on  (a) the Legal Aid Green Paper and  (b) the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper.

Jonathan Djanogly: Both consultations will close on 14 February 2011, and the Government's responses are due to be published in spring 2011.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to introduce fast-track fixed costs;
	(2)  how the level of fixed costs in the fast track will be set under his proposals; by whom; and at what point;
	(3)  when he expects to issue his proposed consultation on fixed recoverable costs in the fast track;
	(4)  when he expects to issue his proposed consultation on wider civil justice reform.

Jonathan Djanogly: The question of whether costs should be fixed in the fast track and other proposed reforms of civil justice will be subject to public consultation which will take place in the spring of 2011.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what change he expects to  (a) litigation costs to and  (b) damages payable by Government Departments and agencies to personal injury claimants as a consequence of implementation of the proposals in the Legal Aid Green Paper and the Civil Litigation Funding Green Paper.

Jonathan Djanogly: In relation to Proposals for Reform of Legal Aid, no assessment has been made in relation to the above areas. In relation to 'Proposals for Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations', data are not available to make preliminary estimates of impact in the majority of cases, though a preliminary estimate has been made as to the impact on the NHS Litigation Authority. The preliminary impact assessments can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/consultations.htm:
	and respondents are invited to comment on the preliminary impacts identified.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects the result of the Legal Standards Board's consultation on referral fees to be published.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Board (LSB) issued a discussion paper, "Referral fees, referral arrangements and fee sharing" on 29 September 2010. Contributions are expected by Wednesday 22 December and the LSB expects to publish its conclusions in spring 2011.

Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to  (a) receive and  (b) publish an assessment of his Department's costs pilot in county courts in Yorkshire.

Jonathan Djanogly: A system of provisional costs assessment for bills of costs up to £25,000 is being piloted in Leeds, York and Scarborough county courts from 1 October 2010 for one year. The pilot is being monitored by officials. A decision will be made on whether to extend the process more generally in the light of the outcomes from the pilot. There are no plans to publish an assessment of the pilot.

Negligence: NHS

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) fast-track and  (b) multi-track cases of clinical negligence funded through legal aid have been brought in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission does not record fast-track and multi-track clinical negligence cases separately.
	The following table shows the number of legally aided clinical negligence cases which were started in the last three financial years. The figures are broken down by the form of legal aid provided: legal help (initial advice and assistance); and legal representation in court proceedings.
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Legal help 3,832 3,597 4,024 
			 Legal representation 3,868 3,883 3,446 
			 Total 7,700 7,480 7,470

Offenders

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offences were committed by offenders out on licence or probation for another offence in each police force area in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice publishes local reoffending data for all offenders on the probation caseload (which includes offenders out on licence and those with court orders). These data are produced at the Probation Area level, which before 1 April 2010 were coterminous with police force boundaries (London Probation includes both the Metropolitan police force and the City of London force, and Teesside Probation Area covered the same boundary as Cleveland police force). These data measure the reoffending of all offenders under probation supervision over a period of three months. The results are produced by aggregating four quarters of data.
	The following table shows the number of re-offences committed by offenders on the probation caseload. Each period shown is based on the offenders on the probation caseload at the end of March, June, September and December of each year. Data are not available prior to 2007.
	On 1 April 2010, Probation Trusts were established following a rigorous formal application process, resulting in all 42 former Probation Boards being replaced by 35 Probation Trusts. The table presented here is based on data prior to this date.
	
		
			  Number of re-offences committed during the time period shown, by offenders on the probation caseload in 2007-09, by Probation Area. 
			   Re-offending period covered  1 April to 31 March each year 
			  Probation area  2007- 08  2008- 09  2009 - 10 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,625 2,867 3,017 
			 Bedfordshire 921 905 1,022 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,742 1,894 1,718 
			 Cheshire 1,750 1,780 1,870 
			 Teesside 3,621 3,755 3,755 
			 Cumbria 1,517 1,544 1,358 
			 Derbyshire 1,474 1,738 1,677 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,928 1,943 1,833 
			 Dorset 1,070 1,150 990 
			 Durham 2,160 2,237 2,037 
			 Essex 3,087 2,879 2,966 
			 Gloucestershire 1,008 1,409 1,139 
			 Hampshire 3,485 3,821 3,923 
			 West Mercia 2,091 2,126 1,982 
			 Hertfordshire 1,370 1,698 1,710 
			 Humberside 2,342 2,344 2,283 
			 Kent 2,278 2,455 2,780 
			 Lancashire 4,484 4,763 4,524 
			 Leicestershire 1,718 1,620 1,425 
			 Lincolnshire 1,150 1,017 1,087 
			 Greater Manchester 8,600 8,661 7,033 
			 Merseyside 4,225 4,520 3,934 
			 Norfolk 1,558 1,417 1,355 
			 Northamptonshire 1,087 1,117 1,112 
			 Northumbria 6,549 6,805 6,317 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,483 2,887 2,871 
			 Thames Valley 3,230 3,569 2,905 
			 Staffordshire 2,203 1,953 1,652 
			 Suffolk 1,081 1,026 1,381 
			 Surrey 1,003 944 1,039 
			 Sussex 2,349 1,811 2,176 
			 Warwickshire 994 1,064 957 
			 West Midlands 8,727 8,258 6,749 
			 Wiltshire 794 995 960 
			 North Yorkshire 1,514 1,629 1,474 
			 South Yorkshire 3,942 3,496 3,216 
			 West Yorkshire 6,220 6,501 5,999 
			 Dyfed-Powys 947 905 976 
			 Gwent 1,781 1,626 1,654 
			 North Wales 1,690 1,916 1,923 
			 South Wales 4,278 4,545 4,225 
			 London 16,779 16,704 15,930

Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average annual number and proportion of viable personal injury claims that are not pursued through the courts;
	(2)  how many personal injury cases were settled  (a) after proceedings were commenced and  (b) after a defence was served denying liability in each of the last three years;
	(3)  in how many personal injury cases did a claimant  (a) beat and  (b) fail to beat a Part 36 offer in each of the last three years;
	(4)  how many personal injury cases proceeded to a trial in which the claimant was  (a) successful and  (b) unsuccessful in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice holds statistical information in relation to the numbers of claims issued, defences made and trials in cases for an unspecified amount of money in the county courts of England and Wales. The following table shows these figures for each year between 2007 and 2009.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold figures centrally which specifically relate to personal injury claims, settlements, Part 36 offers, or trials. This is because personal injury cases, while logged onto the administrative computer systems used in the county courts, cannot be distinguished from other types of cases brought for an unspecified amount of money.
	
		
			  Summary statistics on cases issued for an unspecified amount of money in England and Wales, 2007-09 
			   Claims issued  Defences  Trials 
			 2007 144.128 97,138 12,750 
			 2008 160,248 102709 14,018 
			 2009 178,969 116,662 14,662 
			  Source: HM Courts Service CaseMan system

Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the merits of increasing the level of use of mediation at an early stage in personal injury claims.

Jonathan Djanogly: Proposals to extend the use of mediation in personal injury claims and other civil claims will be part of a public consultation which will be conducted in the spring of 2011.

Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the merits of reversing the burden of proof in personal injury cases  (a) generally and  (b) in respect of each type of case for the purpose of (i) reducing litigation costs and (ii) speeding up claims.

Jonathan Djanogly: We have no plans to reverse the burden of proof in personal injury cases.

Personal Injury: Damages

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made in developing his proposed pilot for predictable personal injury damages in claims up to £10,000.

Jonathan Djanogly: As stated at paragraphs 271-2 of the consultation paper, 'Proposals for reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales-Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations', the Civil Justice Council is considering this issue. It will determine in due course whether it is a project which can be completed, to the timetable indicated, and whether it is in a position to take this project forward.

Police Custody: Mental Health Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of Lord Bradley's Review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system to ensure that every police custody suite has access to a criminal justice mental health team.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is working with the Department of Health and the Home Office to ensure frontline criminal justice and health agencies focus on identifying those people with mental health problems at an early stage of the criminal justice pathway. The aim is to ensure liaison and diversion services are available in police custody suites and at courts by 2014.

Prison Governors

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average tenure of a prison governor was in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the average tenure of a prison governor employed in the National Offender Management Service for each of the last five years is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Average tenure for a governor in each of the last five years 
			  As at 31 March each year  Average tenure (years) 
			 2010 8 
			 2009 8 
			 2008 8 
			 2007 8 
			 2006 8 
		
	
	A 'prison governor' has been defined as anyone filling a governor grade post (for example, governing governor, deputy governor, head of residence).
	'Average tenure' has been defined as the length of time a member of staff has filled any governor grade post.

Prisoners on Remand

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of remand prisoners had no visits from family members in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the number of unconvicted prisoners who have received no social visits from family is not centrally collated. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) policy on visits requires prisons to offer remand prisoners three social visits each week lasting at least one hour.

Prisoners on Remand

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what  (a) financial and  (b) practical help remand prisoners released without conviction receive from his Department upon release.

Crispin Blunt: The imprisonment of unconvicted prisoners should not deprive them of any of their normal rights and freedom as citizens, except where this is an inevitable consequence of imprisonment.
	Remand prisoners may make transactions necessary to maintain their financial affairs and are granted a higher private cash allowance. Although remand prisoners are not entitled to a discharge grant, any case of financial hardship must be referred to the local Jobcentre Plus office.
	During their time in custody, remand prisoners are able to access a range of services including education and careers advice, and pre-release support with employment, benefits and accommodation. They may also for example send and receive as many letters as they wish.

Prisoners' Release

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of prisoners released in each of the last five years entered education, training or employment.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is set out in the following table in relation to 2007-08 and 2008-09.
	2007-08 was the first year for which outcomes were reported as a proportion of discharges.
	Figures for 2009-10 are undergoing final validation and will be published on the Ministry of Justice website in the near future.
	
		
			   Percentage of offenders entering employment on discharge  Percentage of offenders entering education and training on discharge 
			 2007-08 27.0 10.7 
			 2008-09 26.0 11.7 
			  Data  Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners' Release

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of prisoners received accommodation guidance before their release in the latest year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: In 2008-09, over 90% of offenders entering custody had an initial housing needs assessment within the first four days following reception. This is to enable the safeguarding, transfer or closure of existing accommodation, and to signpost further housing assistance in preparation for release.
	In addition, 89% of prisoners in 2009-10 reported they were going into settled or suitable accommodation on release. The recent establishment of the cross-Government ministerial group on homelessness is expected to consider what further action is needed to support housing provision for offenders.

Prisoners' Transfers: Costs

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost was of a prison transfer in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: In the financial year 2009-10, the average cost of transferring prisoners, using the inter prison transfer contract was £98.16. In total 82,521 prisoners were transferred within that period.

Prisoners: Basic Skills

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of prisoners classified as  (a) illiterate and  (b) innumerate in each of the last five years enrolled on basic skills courses.

Crispin Blunt: There is no commonly accepted definition of illiteracy or innumeracy and individual level data is not collected centrally that would allow analysis of learners' prior achievement against their engagement in learning.
	However, the following information(1) is available:
	Table 1 includes basic skills key performance target data for the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	 Data sources and quality :
	(1) These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Academic year (August to July)  English for speakers of other languages ESOL  Literacy  Numeracy  Total 
			 2004-05 1282 30351 31698 63331 
			 2005-06 1453 22380 22171 46004 
		
	
	Table 2 as follows includes data provided by the Skills Funding Agency(1) relating to literacy and numeracy learning aims from individual learner records (ILR) for the academic years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09. Data for 2009-10 is not yet available. It should be noted that this table shows the number of learning aim enrolments in a year rather then individual learners, as learners may enrol on more than one literacy or numeracy course in a year.
	(1) Formally the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)-responsible for planning and funding learning and skills delivery for learners in public sector prisons and young offenders' institutions in England, from August 2006 through the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS). It excludes private prisons, prisons in Wales and Immigration Removal Centres.
	
		
			   Literacy aim( 1)  enrolments  Numeracy( 1)  aim enrolments   
			  Academic year (August to July)  Entry level  Level 1  Level 2  Total  Entry level  Level 1  Level 2  Total  Total Literacy and Numeracy aim enrolments  Total enrolments( 2) 
			 2006-07(3) 13480 17736 9545 40761 13322 13330 6938 33590 74351 240045 
			 2007-08 17174 20560 12613 50347 16482 16152 9669 (4)42314 92661 299300 
			 2008-09 13787 16018 10083 39888 12990 13504 8310 34804 74692 243182 
			 (1 )Learning aim is a generic term which includes qualifications, courses and learning events under a general title. (2 )Including Literacy and Numeracy aim enrolments. (3 )The Individual Learner Record data for 2006-07 may include a small amount of enrolments by those who are serving their sentence in the community. (4) Total includes 11 with no specific level.

Prisoners: Children

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of prisoners' children are recorded by the Prison-NOMIS Case Management System.

Crispin Blunt: Prison-NOMIS holds information on the number of children of prisoners. The field is not mandatory so data cannot be validated, however currently the system shows 60.5% of prisoners have provided information on how many children they have.

Prisoners: Location

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are held  (a) up to and  (b) more than 50 miles from their normal place of residence.

Crispin Blunt: Information on a prisoner's residence is provided by prisoners on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses include a prisoner's home address, an address to which they intend to return on discharge and next of kin. To analyse the population as a whole, if no address is given, a prisoner's committal court address is used as a proxy to determine the area in which a prisoner is resident. This is required for about 40% of the population and these figures are included in the answer. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of prisoners and these figures are excluded from the answer.
	The following table shows the number of prisoners as at 24 September 2010 who are held up to and over 50 miles from either a recorded residential address or proxy, as described above.
	
		
			   Up to 50 miles  Over 50 miles 
			 Recorded address 29,253 19,574 
			 Proxy address 22,973 10,722 
			 Total 52,226 30,296 
		
	
	These figures include male and female prisoners, adults, young offenders and juveniles and those who are sentenced and on remand.

Prisons: Sanitation

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison places lacked in-cell sanitation or open access to toilet facilities in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of prison places without in-cell sanitation or open access to toilet facilities since 2005.
	
		
			  The number of prison places without in-cell sanitation or open access to toilet facilities since 2005 
			   Number of places 
			 2005 2,127 
			 2006 2,127 
			 2007 2,127 
			 2008 2,117 
			 2009 2,117 
			 2010 1,973 
		
	
	These figures reflect the number of places without in-cell sanitation as at 1 March each year.
	Currently less than 3% of the prison population does not have access to in-cell sanitation.
	Investigations continue into prisons where it could be possible to replace electronic unlocking with in-cell sanitation as part of the prison estate refurbishment programme. All new prisons are built with in-cell sanitation installed.

Prisons: Visits

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons have held children and family days in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: To answer the question in the form requested would entail disproportionate cost as it would involve contacting over 130 prison establishments which would all need to check individual records.
	However a sample of responses has demonstrated that the significant majority of establishments hold family days, or dedicated events where children and families attend. A number of establishments have held family days in the majority of the last five years, some have introduced them within the last five years, and small minority of establishments have not held any family days.

Remand in Custody: Young People

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of children in custody at year end were on remand in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the percentage of young people under 18 in custody who were on remand at the end of December in each of the last five years for which data are available.
	
		
			  As at December each year  Percentage of under-18 custodial population on remand 
			 2004 19.5 
			 2005 22.2 
			 2006 21.2 
			 2007 21.1 
			 2008 21.1 
			  Note: The figures have been provided by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.

Remand in Custody: Young People

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of children on remand were remanded to  (a) custody and  (b) non-secure local authority accommodation in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The Youth Justice Board collects data on the number of remand episodes that took place for children and young people aged 10 to 17 by courts in England and Wales. A remand episode is the initial remand decision made in court, regardless of how many times a child or young person appears in court. A remand episode will cover all secure and non secure remands, plus remands to the community i.e. bail. The number and percentage of remands to custody and local authority accommodation is shown in the following table. These figures have been provided by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			   No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  % 
			 Total remand episodes 128,875 n/a 111,168 n/a 102,815 n/a 86,108 n/a 71,359 n/a 
			 Total custodial remands  (a) 6,969 5 6,561 6 6,360 6 5,663 7 5,504 8 
			 Remands to local authority accommodation  (b) 1,957 2 1,655 1 1,493 1 1,292 2 1,052 1

Repossession Orders: Landlords

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has plans to increase access to justice for landlords in repossession cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: The coalition agreement commits the Government to ensure that repossession is always the last resort. Where there is no alternative to repossession there are procedures in place to enable landlords to regain possession of their property.
	The accelerated possession procedure allows the landlord to bring a claim solely for possession of the property. This is a fast track procedure under which the court will make its decision on the papers, and can order possession to be given up within 14 days unless exceptional hardship would be caused, in which case the maximum time that can be allowed is 42 days.
	The Ministry of Justice has no plans to make changes to this procedure relating to possession cases.

Roads: Accidents

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of personal injury claims are low-value road traffic cases qualifying for the new portal system;
	(2)  how many cases have been  (a) accepted into and  (b) disposed of through the low-value road traffic cases portal system since its inception;
	(3)  how many cases have not been proceeded with under the low-value road traffic cases portal system owing to the failure of a defendant to comply with its terms;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the low-value road traffic cases portal system.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department has put in place evaluation criteria for the low value road traffic accident personal injury process and is now awaiting data from the industry which they will extract from the IT portal.

Young Offender Institutions: Sanitation

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those in custody at young offender institutions do not have access to a shower or other washing facilities each day.

Crispin Blunt: Information received from Young Offender Institutions shows that all young offenders have daily access to washing facilities.

Young Offenders

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of persons under 18 years of age in custody  (a) had no visits from family members and  (b) were in custody more than 50 miles from their normal place of residence in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The Youth Justice Board places young people in custody according to their needs and how those needs can best be managed. Distance from home is just one of a range of factors considered including age, gender, individual needs and the availability of a suitable establishment.
	The monthly average percentage of young people under 18 in custody held 50 miles or more away from their normal place of residence for 2008-09 was 32.8%. Records with invalid or missing postcodes have not been included within this data. The figures have been provided by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.
	Young people that are placed into secure accommodation have the right and are encouraged to maintain approved contact with family members, friends or other individuals. Data on the number of family visits per young person under 18 in custody are not held centrally by the Youth Justice Board.

Young Offenders: Physical Education

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the average number of hours per week spent on physical education by offenders in young offender institutions in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Average hours of physical education per prisoner per week 
			 2005-06 3.40 
			 2006-07 3.39 
			 2007-08 3.42 
			 2008-09 3.54 
			 2009-10 3.81 
			  Note: The figures in the answer are for prisons with the main function of holding young adults aged 18-20 years and young people aged 15-17. It is not possible to disaggregate data for adult prisons which hold a small element of young offender population.  Data  Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Young Offenders: Sentencing

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of persons under 18 years of age convicted for a first offence received a custodial sentence in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows figures for juvenile offenders receiving their first immediate custodial sentence, as recorded on the police national computer. These figures have been derived from supplementary table 6e of "Sentencing Statistics: England and Wales 2009" which was published on 21 October 2010.
	
		
			  Juvenile offenders receiving an immediate custodial sentence for an indictable offence, with no previous cautions or convictions, 2005 - 09, England and Wales 
			  Number and percentage of offenders 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 All juvenile first time offenders receiving a sentence 6,137 5,775 5,659 5,162 4,922 
			 Juvenile first time offenders sentenced to immediate custody 349 358 386 399 349 
			 Percentage of juvenile first time offenders sentenced to immediate custody 5.7 6.2 6.8 7.7 7.1 
		
	
	The figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Youth Custody

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons under 18 years of age were held in custody in  (a) young offender institutions,  (b) secure training centres and  (c) secure children's homes at year end in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of young people under 18 held in young offender institutions, secure training centres and secure children's homes at the end of December in each of the last five years for which data are available.
	
		
			   As at December  each year 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Young Offender Institutions 2,191 2,210 2,317 2,332 2,327 
			 Secure Training Centres 207 215 255 242 215 
			 Secure Children's Homes 219 219 224 221 173 
			 Total 2,617 2,644 2,796 2,795 2,715 
		
	
	The figures have been provided by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Civil Society Challenge Fund

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided to the Civil Society Challenge Fund in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen O'Brien: Details of funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) through the Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) are published in "Statistics on International Development", which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website. Funding provided in each financial year since 2001-02 is as follows. Information cannot be provided for 2000-01 without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£000) 
			 2001-02 7,069 
			 2002-03 8,902 
			 2003-04 8,727 
			 2004-05 10,106 
			 2005-06 13,260 
			 2006-07 13,539 
			 2007-08 14,688 
			 2008-09 16,680 
			 2009-10 12,232

Connections for Development: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided to Connections for Development in each year since 2003.

Alan Duncan: Funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) to Connections for Development (CfD) ended in March 2009. DFID funding to CfD in each financial year since 2003-04 is as follows. Funding to CfD ended in March 2009.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 2003-04 86,304 
			 2004-05 125,334 
			 2005-06 326,228 
			 2006-07 250,431 
			 2007-08 249,541 
			 2008-09 214,536

Connections for Development: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its funding for the organisation Connections for Development in contributing to his Department's development objectives.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) stopped funding Connections for Development in March 2009.

Departmental Grants

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent through strategic grant agreements in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided the following funding through Strategic Grant Agreements (SGAs) from 2002-03 to 2009-10. DFID provided no funding under SGAs prior to 2003-04 and none after April 2009.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 375,329 
			 2004-05 850,375 
			 2005-06 1,064,514 
			 2006-07 667,380 
			 2007-08 295,276 
			 2008-09 18,477 
			 2009-10 0

Departmental Overtime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on overtime for staff working within his private office in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: Staff in the Secretary of State's private office in posts designated as private secretary or assistant private secretary are paid a fixed private office allowance in lieu of overtime. The rate depends on the designation and grade of the post holder, with rates ranging from £7,500 to £8,500 per annum.
	Records on the amount of overtime received by individual staff members are not available prior to 1 November 2008. The total amount paid to staff working in the Secretary of State's private office, other than private and assistant private secretaries, since 1 November 2008 is as follows.
	
		
			  Time period  Amount (£) 
			 1 November 2008 to 31 December 2008 3,822.60 
			 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 7,321.00 
			 1 January 2010 to 30 November 2010 9,296.50

Departmental Publications

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on printing  (a) Command Papers,  (b) papers laid before Parliament by Act,  (c) consultation documents and  (d) other papers in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: Detailed information on departmental printing costs over this time period cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	For the financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 central records are held on the printing costs of papers presented to Parliament by Act. Details of these are as following:
	
		
			   £ 
			  2009-10  
			 DFID Autumn Performance Report 15,535 
			 DFID Annual Resource Accounts 16,794 
			 DFID Annual Report 7,895 
			   
			  2010-11  
			 DFID Annual Resource Accounts 1,855 
			 DFID Annual Report 2,460 
			 Reprint of Development Act Report 2,044

Departmental Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of questions to his Department tabled in the  (a) House of Commons and  (b) House of Lords that remained unanswered after 10 working days as a result of observation of guidance on the timing of answers to similar Questions tabled to more than one Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: Since 18 May 2010, the Department for International Development (DFID) has answered 96% of House of Commons parliamentary questions (PQs) and 95% of House of Lords PQs within the respective deadlines. Seven House of Commons PQs identified as round robin questions have been answered after 10 working days during the current parliamentary session.

Developing Countries: Debts

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding within the definition of official development assistance has been allocated to the writing-off of the debt owed by heavily indebted poor countries to the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each year from 2011-12 to 2013-14.

Alan Duncan: Over the spending review period, we expect to provide £25 million to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, for writing off debt owed by heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC). The timing of this expenditure, however, is uncertain as it depends on the progress countries make in meeting the agreed standards.

Developing Countries: Diseases

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the risk to the UK from  (a) transnational agricultural pests and  (b) diseases originating from developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: There have been no ministerial level discussions on the risk to the UK from transnational agricultural pests and diseases originating from developing countries.

Developing Countries: Diseases

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to reduce the threat posed to smallholder farmers' livelihoods by transnational diseases in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is a major funder of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which includes the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute. CGIAR and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, which we also fund, do excellent work on animal health and production, including research into reducing the transmission of trans-boundary animal diseases. Their work includes that on Avian Influenza, East Coast Fever of cattle and Rinderpest, a disease of cattle which is now close to being officially eradicated.
	With regard to trans-national crop diseases, we are co-funding work on improving resistance to wheat stem rust, with the Gates Foundation and the British Biological Science Research Council.

Development Awareness Fund

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided to the Development Awareness Fund in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided the following funding through the Development Awareness Fund (DAF) from 2002-03 to 2009-10. Information prior to 2002-03 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. The Development Awareness Fund is now closed for new applications and will cease to exist once current grants have ended.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 2002-03 4,452,341 
			 2003-04 4,197,662 
			 2004-05 4,150,332 
			 2005-06 4,212,567 
			 2006-07 4,244,098 
			 2007-08 3,242,776 
			 2008-09 4,095,825 
			 2009-10 5,353,983

Development Awareness Fund

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much from the Development Awareness Fund has been given to trade unions in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: Details of funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) to trade unions since 2002-03, through the Development Awareness Fund (DAF), are available in the Library of the House. Information prior to 2002-03 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. The Development Awareness Fund is now closed for new applications and will cease to exist once current grants have ended.
	DFID is reviewing all of its aid programmes, including aid channelled through trade unions, to ensure that it makes a real difference to the world's poorest people.

Non-governmental Organisations: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which non-governmental organisations his Department funded through partnership programme arrangements in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much was given to each such organisation.

Stephen O'Brien: Details of funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) to non-government organisations (NGOs) through programme partnership arrangements (PPA) are published in 'Statistics on International Development', which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website. Details of funding to NGOs through PPAs in financial year 2009-10 are as follows.
	
		
			  Organisation  Amount (£000) 
			 Action on Disability and Development 1,360 
			 ActionAid 5,540 
			 Aga Khan Foundation (UK) 1,025 
			 BOND 360 
			 CAFOD 4,430 
			 CARE International UK 3,950 
			 Christian Aid 7,640 
			 CIVICUS 75 
			 Comic Relief 7,000 
			 Ethical Trading Initiative 755 
			 Helpage International 1,830 
			 International HIV/Aids Alliance 5,380 
			 International Institute for Environment and Development 1,760 
			 International Services UNAIS 1,560 
			 International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) 6,450 
			 Islamic Relief 800 
			 Overseas Development Institute 1,140 
			 One World Action 1,060 
			 OXFAM 11,090 
			 Panos London 1,900 
			 Plan International UK 2,410 
			 Practical Action 1,060 
			 PROGRESSIO 3,470 
			 Save The Children 9,320 
			 Skillshare International 3,508 
			 Transparency International 1,060 
			 Trades Union Congress (TUC) 1,200 
			 VSO 31,660 
			 Wateraid 1,680 
			 World Vision UK 2,620 
			 WWFUK 5,730

Non-governmental Organisations: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on partnership programme arrangements in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen O'Brien: Details of funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) through programme partnership arrangements (PPA) are published in 'Statistics on International Development', which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website. In each of the last 10 financial years DFID has allocated the following amounts through PPAs.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£000) 
			 2001-02 53,650 
			 2002-03 57,227 
			 2003-04 59,011 
			 2004-05 65,263 
			 2005-06 82,150 
			 2006-07 89,141 
			 2007-08 89,695 
			 2008-09 108,928 
			 2009-10 128,823

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided to development projects in Sudan in each of the last five years.

Stephen O'Brien: Details of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) aid expenditure in developing countries are published in 'Statistics on International Development', which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website. DFID bilateral programme expenditure and imputed expenditure through multilateral organisations in Sudan from 2005-06 to 2009-10 is as follows.
	
		
			  Financial year  Total DFID bilateral (£000)  DFID imputed multilateral shares (£000) 
			 2005-06 117,046 39,547 
			 2006-07 109,800 34,398 
			 2007-08 134,666 19,546 
			 2008-09 105,787 15,942 
			 2009-10 145,578 n/a 
			 n/a = not available

Tanzania: Pests

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent reports his Department has received on the threat posed by the recent outbreak of peste des petits ruminants in Tanzania to the livelihood of poorest smallholder farmers in that region.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not received any reports on the threat posed by an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants in Tanzania. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) is monitoring a recent outbreak and offering support.

Trade Unions: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has provided to trade unions in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen O'Brien: Details of funding to trade unions since financial year 2002-03 are available in the Library of the House. Information prior to 2002-03 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is reviewing all of its aid programmes, including aid channelled through trade unions, to ensure that it makes a real difference to the world's poorest people.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

David Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the administration costs of implementing the changes to child benefit entitlement announced in the 2010 Spending Review.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the Exchequer Secretary gave the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson) on 23 November 2010,  Official Report, column 265W.

Consumer Protection and Markets Authority

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in establishing the Consumer Protection and Markets Authority.

Mark Hoban: The Government published a consultation document in July which included high-level proposals on the creation of a consumer protection and markets authority. The consultation closed in October and a summary of the responses received is available on the Treasury's website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/summaryofcondocresponses241110.pdf
	The Treasury, working with the Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England, will continue to develop these proposals in light of consultation responses and developing policy priorities. A further consultation document setting out detailed policy and legislative proposals will be published by the Treasury in the early part of 2011.

Consumer Protection and Markets Authority

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the budget of the Consumer Protection and Markets Authority during its first full year of operation.

Mark Hoban: The budgetary process for the consumer protection and markets authority (CPMA) will be based on that of the Financial Services Authority. The CPMA will be independent of Government and therefore responsible for setting its own budget. The CPMA's operations will be funded by a levy raised from all firms it regulates, and the CPMA will consult on the level of its fees.

Departmental Contracts

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department plans to take to encourage and support small and medium-sized enterprises and third sector organisations to compete for departmental contracts in line with value-for-money policy, UK regulations and EU procurement directives.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury Group recognises the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and third sector organisations to the UK economy and is committed to promoting small business procurement.
	HM Treasury has adopted the standard Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, recently introduced by the Efficiency and Reform Group.
	HM Treasury Group publish all new tender documents and information and communication technology contracts over £10,000 (excluding VAT) online. From January 2011 these and all new contracts valued £10,000 or more (excluding VAT) can be found on the public sector "Contracts Finder" website, free of charge; contracts awarded to a SME will be highlighted. HM Treasury Group will implement procurement strategies and agree contracts that encourage innovation and exploit the expertise and value that can be obtained from SMEs.
	HM Treasury Group aim to pay all valid supplier invoices within five working days.
	HM Treasury Group supports the cross-Government package of measures to open up Government procurement opportunities to SMEs launched by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 1 November 2010. These measures, designed to address the areas that are the biggest barriers to SMEs doing business with the public sector, include:
	plans to cut away unnecessary bureaucracy and waste by streamlining the procurement process;
	improving the transparency of public procurement opportunities; and
	requiring major suppliers to guarantee subcontractors working on Government contracts are paid within 30 days and encouraging them to pass these terms along the supply chain.

Money Laundering: Fees and Charges

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to revise the level of fees paid under money laundering regulations to reflect the number of clients of those charged such fees; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The fees charged by money laundering supervisors are a matter for each of the individual supervisors concerned.
	The money laundering supervisors are listed in the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

Personal Savings

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress he has made in encouraging individuals to save a higher proportion of their disposable income; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Government want to build a savings system based on the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility and are committed to creating conditions for higher saving. The Government have already announced a number of measures, such as the Annual Financial Healthcheck which will be introduced from spring 2011, and an end to the effective requirement to purchase an annuity with tax-relieved pension savings by age 75 from April 2011. The Government will also increase the amount that can be paid into ISAs each year in line with inflation from April 2011, and will shortly publish a consultation on the development of a new category of simple financial products, which will help encourage saving.

Public Bodies: Land

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2010,  Official Report, column 473W, on public assets: land, how often the ownership status of land directly owned by  (a) Government Departments and their agencies and  (b) other public bodies is re-evaluated.

Justine Greening: All land assets should be carried at valuation at the reporting period date in accordance with the accounting standards applied by the Treasury to relevant Government bodies. Revaluation methodologies vary depending on the volatility of the assets' underlying value, so for example, may be carried out on an annual or quinquennial basis as appropriate. Irrespective of the revaluation approach, an entity shall assess at the end of each reporting period whether there is any indication that an asset may be impaired below the carrying amount. If any such indication exists, the entity shall estimate the recoverable amount of the asset.
	The Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) complements guidance published separately by the relevant authorities in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The treatment of land valuation is broadly aligned with guidance produced for those public bodies that do not apply the FReM directly, namely, local government, public corporations that are not trading funds, NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts.

Taxation: Sweet Chestnuts

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the  (a) revenue accruing to the Exchequer from and  (b) contribution to gross domestic product made by the coppiced sweet chestnut industry in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009.

Justine Greening: Information on the revenue accruing to the Exchequer from the coppiced sweet chestnut industry in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009 is not available.
	Responsibility for assessing gross domestic product rests with the independent Office for National Statistics.

VAT Zero Rating

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2010,  Official Report, column 644W, on VAT, what his policy is on value added tax zero-rating.

David Gauke: Under longstanding agreements with our EU partners, we are permitted to retain our existing VAT zero rates. We may not, however, apply any new zero rates or extend the scope of existing ones.
	The Government are committed to keeping everyday essentials such as food and children's clothing, as well as other zero-rated items like newspapers and printed books, free from VAT over the course of this Parliament.

Working Tax Credit

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to review the qualifying number of hours which a person must work in order to receive working tax credits.

Justine Greening: People who work less than 30 hours are not generally entitled to the working tax credit. However, the qualifying requirement is lower for some groups. For single adults with a child or those with a disability the qualifying requirement is 16 hours.
	The new universal credit, to be introduced over the next two Parliaments, will replace the current complex system of means-tested working-age benefits with a simple streamlined payment. The universal credit will improve financial work incentives by ensuring that support is reduced at a consistent and managed rate as people return to work and increase their working hours and earnings.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Constituencies

Simon Kirby: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made on redrawing constituency boundaries; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill includes provision to create fewer and more equal sized constituencies, and for the four Boundary Commissions to conduct a review of the constituencies in their respective areas by October 2013. The Bill is currently being considered by the House of Lords.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that hon. Members and other elected representatives are informed about  (a) the size of their electorate each year and  (b) the performance of electoral registration departments recorded by the Electoral Commission.

Mark Harper: Electoral registration figures are published annually by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and are publicly available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=319
	The ONS has placed a copy of the table containing the most up to date information in the House of Commons Library.
	Information on the performance of electoral registration departments recorded by the Electoral Commission is also publicly available at:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/performance-standards

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answers of 6 September 2010,  Official Report, column 298W, on the electoral register, how many electoral registration officers have been reprimanded for a breach of official duty under section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 1983 since its entry into force.

Mark Harper: Breach of official duty under section 63 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 is a criminal offence. Any decision to bring a prosecution under section 63 would be made by the Crown Prosecution Service. There is no provision for the Electoral Commission or any other body to issue reprimands to electoral registration officers (EROs) under this section.
	The Electoral Commission has established performance standards for EROs. Following this year's assessments, the Commission is in the process of contacting all EROs who have fallen below certain standards. In the first instance this will be to identify the reasons for poor performance and then to develop appropriate methods to ensure improvement.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what underpinning work his Department carried out prior to the announcement of the 2015 deadline for the withdrawal of British combat troops from Afghanistan.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 29 November 2010
	 Prior to the announcement by the Prime Minister that we will not have combat troops in Afghanistan by 2015, the Ministry of Defence was undertaking work along a number of themes, including examining the development of Afghan National Security Forces and looking at the future shape of operations in Afghanistan. This work continues as we begin the process of transition.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the strength and capabilities of the Afghan National Police.

Liam Fox: Excellent progress is being made on growing the Afghan National Police. As of the end of October the Government of Afghanistan report that they numbered approximately 116,000, and are currently ahead of schedule for meeting the target of 134,000 Afghan Police by the end of 2011.
	International Security Assistance Force and the NATO Training Mission, Afghanistan are working hard to improve the capabilities of the Afghan National Police. In Helmand, this includes training both recruits and non-commissioned officers at the Helmand Police Training Centre.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department plans to provide to Afghanistan to help retain and develop its army and police following the proposed transfer of power from NATO to the Afghan National Forces.

Liam Fox: Following the transition announcement at the Lisbon conference, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is working through how best to support the Afghan authorities in providing security once the transition process is complete.
	The UK military provides support to the development of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in three main ways: through embedding staff officers in NATO Training Mission Afghanistan (NTM-A) Headquarters, by providing trainers and support to NTM-A training institutions, and through the partnering of deployed ANSF in Helmand province.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to help the Afghan Government reduce the attrition rate of its soldiers and police.

Liam Fox: Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have an essential role providing both security and governance in Afghanistan and are a key part of our counter-insurgency strategy.
	The Afghan Government has introduced a number of measures to improve the retention rate of the ANSF such as a pension scheme and a work cycle consisting of periods of operations, training and leave. The International Security Assistance Force continues to focus on expanding the ANSF and works to balance quality with quantity which the UK fully supports.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on decompression in respect of  (a) officials and  (b) service personnel who have served in Afghanistan.

Liam Fox: h olding answer 2 December 2010
	Decompression is available to all service personnel returning from operations in Afghanistan. It is conducted over a period of 36-hours at the Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus, a suitable location away from both the operational theatre and the emotional pressures of the homecoming. Civilian officials do not make use of these decompression facilities as there is no assessed requirement for them to do so.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effects on his Department's operations in Afghanistan of compliance with President Karzai's decree on private security companies; what discussions he has had with his Afghan counterpart on the decree; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: Supplies are delivered to UK Forces in Afghanistan through a number of means including military and contractor convoys. Following President Karzai's decree on 16 August 2010 to disband private military security companies, UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UN-AMA) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have been working with the Government of Afghanistan on behalf of the International Community to implement the decree. Work is ongoing to develop an Afghan-led solution, including for convoy protection where required, which will include the use of elements of the Afghan National Security Forces.

Air Force: Military Bases

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on redevelopment at each RAF base in the UK in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of likely expenditure on work classified as redevelopment in each of the next five years.

Andrew Robathan: The expenditure on redevelopment, defined as capital expenditure and minor new works, for the major RAF stations in the UK since financial year 2006-07 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Expenditure by station 
			  £ million 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 RAF Benson 0.6 2 1 2.2 
			 RAF Boulmer 0.2 0 0.1 0.8 
			 RAF Brampton/Wyton/Henlow 0 0.2 3.2 1 
			 RAF Brize Norton 8.1 13.4 31 14.3 
			 RAF Coningsby 0 0 19 0 
			 RAF Cottesmore 4 0.4 1.7 0.9 
			 RAF Cosford 1.3 0.1 0.6 12 
			 RAF Cranwell 0 0.8 2.7 2.6 
			 RAF Fylingdales 0.1 0 0.2 0 
			 RAF Halton 0.1 0.2 1.1 1 
			 RAF High Wycombe 7.2 2.4 3 3.2 
			 RAF Honington 1.5 0.2 6.8 8.7 
			 RAF Kinloss - - - - 
			 RAF Leeming 0.1 1.4 13.1 0 
			 RAF Leuchars - - - - 
			 RAF Linton on Ouse 6.4 0.5 7.6 1.1 
			 RAF Lossiemouth - - - - 
			 RAF Lyneham 2.2 0.9 1.6 2.2 
			 RAF Marham 2.5 0 6 0 
			 RAF Northolt 0.3 0.6 1.2 0.5 
			 RAF Odiham 3.0 3.0 3.6 4.7 
			 RAF Shawbury 0.3 0 0.5 0.8 
			 RAF Spadeadam 0 0 0.1 0.2 
			 RAF St Mawgan 0.08 0.2 0.4 0.4 
			 RAF Valley 1 19.1 14.5 1.4 
			 RAF Waddington 0 0.2 17.3 13 
			 RAF Wittering 0 0.2 0.5 4 
		
	
	Information for the financial year 2005-06 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data for RAF stations in Scotland are not currently available and I will write to the right hon. and learned Member with the information requested.
	The Ministry of Defence is in the process of completing its annual planning round which will allocate future programme budgets. This is expected to conclude in early 2011.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the number of members of school cadet forces who pursue military careers.

Andrew Robathan: While there is no requirement for recruits into the armed forces to state whether they had previously been a member of any cadet force, we estimate that approximately 25% of the intake to our Services has had some form of cadet experience.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding his Department plans to allocate to research on mental health issues in respect of serving personnel and veterans in each of the next three years.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence fully supports the need for high quality research which examines the mental health of current and ex-service personnel. We provide funding for military staff to work at the King's Centre for Military Health Research, which has conducted a number of highly-acclaimed studies over the past years into various aspects of defence health, including mental health. Funding over the next three years is estimated at some £1.25 million. In addition, the Surgeon General's Department has a research budget of £250,000 per annum, which can be used to fund research into areas of relevance to military medicine, including mental health.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding his Department plans to allocate to the trial of an online early intervention service for serving personnel and veterans.

Andrew Robathan: The Government are committed to the mental health of our armed forces, both while they are serving and after they have returned to civilian life. We are determined to ensure that those who need it receive the high standard of treatment and care that they deserve.
	In his recent study into the mental health of serving and ex-serving personnel entitled "Fighting Fit", commissioned by the Prime Minister, the hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) made a number of recommendations, one of which was the trial of an online early intervention service for serving and ex-serving personnel. Plans are being finalised for development of this trial in close consultation with the Department of Health, who are responsible for the delivery of health care to those who have left the services. Details, including the extent of any direct financial contribution from the Ministry of Defence, have yet to be confirmed.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what types of boots are supplied to Army personnel; where each such type is manufactured; and what the  (a) unit cost and  (b) life expectancy is of each type of boot.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 3 December 2010
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently has three contracts supplying 32 types of boot to armed forces personnel, most of which are used by the Army; two contracts are with UK companies, and the other is with a Spanish company.
	The life expectancy of boots depends upon the purpose and the environment in which the boot is being used. In normal use, most boots have an expected life of around three years but combat boots in theatre have a life of about six months.
	In accordance with European Union public procurement directives, it is at the discretion of the companies to choose where the manufacturing work is carried out, and the MOD does not routinely collect these data.
	I am withholding the information on the unit price of the boots as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Departmental Written Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the number of questions to his Department tabled in the  (a) House of Commons and  (b) House of Lords that remained unanswered after 10 working days as a result of observation of guidance on the timing of answers to similar questions tabled to more than one Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) on 1 December 2010,  Official Report, column 884W.
	In the case of questions that are deemed to be "round robin", The Guide to Parliamentary Work, published by the Leader of the House of Commons:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/government-business/parliamentary-business.aspx
	states that Departments should not delay preparing an answer until "round robin" advice is provided, and should not miss the target deadlines for this reason.

Falkland Islands: Hercules Aircraft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effect on provision for the defence of the Falkland Islands of the use of the C130J aircraft as a replacement for the Nimrod MRA4; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces (Nick Harvey) on 30 November 2010, Official Report, column 747W, to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson).
	The Government remain unequivocally committed to the defence of the Falkland Islands. Hercules C-130 aircraft will continue to play a role in this task, along with the many other military assets devoted to the task.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sorties the Nimrod MR.2 has flown over Iraq in support of Operation Telic in each year since 2003.

Liam Fox: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Exercises: RAF Welford

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the multi-agency response to a fictitious scenario planned for the US base at RAF Welford will take place; and what agencies will be involved.

Andrew Robathan: A table top exercise to test the interoperability of UK and US policing and security forces at United States Visiting Force (USVF) bases was held on 7-8 September 2010.
	The exercise was attended by representatives from the following agencies: the Ministry of Defence (MOD) (including the MOD Police and Guarding Agency), the Home Office, the Royal Air Force, the United States Air Force, and five Home Department Police Forces.

Nimrod Aircraft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the capabilities are of the  (a) Nimrod MRA4,  (b) Remotely Piloted Air System,  (c) P3 Orion and  (d) Breguet Atlantique in respect of (i) speed, (ii) range and (iii) equipment; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Nimrod MRA4 was planned to have maximum speed of up to 360 knots, and a range of 6,000 miles, or 14 hours without refuelling. I am withholding information about the capabilities we had planned for the MRA4 as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces. We have not made any assessment of the capabilities provided by any particular unmanned aerial vehicle in the maritime domain, nor of the P3 Orion or Breguet Atlantique.

Nimrod Aircraft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he has made to  (a) protect the carrier fleet,  (b) provide strategic deterrent against submarines following the cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 450-51W, to the hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr McCann), the right hon. Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) and the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones), which made clear that we are now developing a longer term plan to mitigate the impact of the cancellation of Nimrod MRA4.

Nimrod Aircraft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated programme cost for the Nimrod MRA4 was on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: The estimate of procurement costs for the Nimrod MRA 4 programme as at 31 October 2010 was £3.6 billion.
	In respect of other Nimrod MRA4 programme costs, the Ministry of Defence has made estimates of savings that would accrue from measures considered in the strategic defence and security review for the purposes of formulating policy. Some of these have been published to help inform the public debate. In the case of the Nimrod MRA4 we estimate that around £2 billion will be saved over the next 10 years, by not bringing the aircraft into service. Release of further detail may prejudice the MOD's negotiating position with its commercial suppliers. The MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed savings or updated estimated in-service cost figures at this time.
	The total expenditure on the Nimrod MRA4 programme as at 31 October 2010 was approximately £3.9 billion including £3.4 billion for procurement costs.

Public Expenditure

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional funding his Department plans to allocate to increase the safety of UK ships importing energy supplies in each year of the Spending Review period.

Andrew Robathan: Departmental funding is not allocated by task in this way. The protection of trade routes and merchant shipping is one of the primary roles of the Royal Navy. As announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Ministry of Defence will also support the new National Maritime Information Centre where departments will work together to monitor and maintain the maritime integrity of the UK. Energy security and supply is an important element of this. In the last six months the Government have made substantial progress in developing security relations between the UK and Norway, which is a key energy partner of the UK.

RAF Welford

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what powers the unarmed guards assigned to duties at the US base at RAF Welford have.

Andrew Robathan: All Ministry of Defence (MOD) Guard Service personnel have the power to make a citizen's arrest.
	In addition to this, MOD Guard Service at RAF Welford also have a power of arrest as a crown servant under the RAF Welford bye-laws. These are authorised by the appropriate authority, who in this case is the RAF Station Commander at Welford.

RAF Welford

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse is of the security enhancement to the US base at RAF Welford; and from which budget the expenditure was drawn.

Andrew Robathan: RAF Welford is made available to the United States Visiting Force (USVF) under the NATO Status of Forces Agreement of 1951. The cost of the physical security enhancements made at the base was therefore met by the United States Air Force at no cost to the public purse.

Rescue Services

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of his Department's requirement for  (a) maritime radar capability and  (b) carrying of sonobuoys to fulfil search and rescue tasks; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 November 2010,  Official Report, column 735W to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis); and the answer the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Peter Luff) gave on 4 November 2010,  Official Report, column 954W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).
	Our requirements for both maritime radar and sonobuoy capabilities were assessed during the strategic defence and security review and these are kept under regular review. The UK will continue to provide search and rescue services using a range of assets depending on the response required.

Trident

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many staff are employed on the Trident Value for Money review;
	(2)  how much has been spent to date on carrying out the value for money review of Trident; and what estimate he has made of the final cost

Andrew Robathan: Two members of staff are employed full time on the Trident Value for Money review, with a number of other Ministry of Defence staff providing significant input to the review within the scope of their existing posts.
	As at the end of August, the total cost of both officials assigned full time on the Trident Value for Money review is approximately £70,000. The final staff cost is estimated to be approximately £120,000.
	In addition, there has been some expenditure on external assistance and technical consultancy for the Value for Money review and linked aspects of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. It has not been possible, in the time available, to determine the precise amount attributable to the Trident Value for Money review and I will write to the hon. Member in due course.
	 Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to John Woodcock:
	You recently asked how much has been spent to date on carrying out the Value for Money review of Trident; and how much we estimate the final cost will be.
	While I was able to provide information on MOD staff costs I was unable to provide the total amount spent during the Value for Money review including external assistance or technical consultancy in the time available.
	I am now in a position to provide that information. The total expenditure for the Value for Money review is expected to be some £320,000 against a saving of £3.2 billion from the next 10 years.

Trident

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what mechanism his Department has achieved cost savings in joint work with the US to procure a common missile compartment for the planned successor submarine; and how much funding has been allocated by his Department to the common missile compartment project to date.

Liam Fox: By working collaboratively with the United States, the UK is sharing the costs of designing and integrating a missile compartment. This enables the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to avoid the significant costs associated with having to adapt and integrate a US only design into a UK submarine, or design and develop a bespoke UK missile compartment.
	The decision to proceed with the Vanguard replacement submarines, including the Common Missile Compartment, will not be taken until the main gate decision point, which the Strategic Defence and Security Review confirmed is now planned for the next Parliament. As the design of the missile compartment matures, it is possible that further opportunities to reduce production and whole life costs will be identified.
	The funding allocated to date by the MOD for the design of a Common Missile Compartment is approximately £283 million.

University Air Squadron Bursary

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the University Air Squadron Bursary; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The RAF currently has no plans to change the number of university air squadron bursaries that it offers per year. No decisions have yet been made on the future of bursaries following the Strategic Defence and Security Review announcement.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council: Finance

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment in respect of the economic effects on the arts sector of the reduction in funding to organisations regularly funded by the Arts Council in the North East as a result of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review.

Edward Vaizey: As part of the spending review, the Department will be reducing its own administrative budget by 50% and has asked a number of its arm's length bodies, including Arts Council England, to do the same. At a difficult time our aim has been to ensure that the maximum amount of funding is spent at the front line, rather than on bureaucracy. We had regular discussions with those arm's length bodies during the spending review and those discussions continue. We are confident that in cutting administration in order to limit cuts to the front line, arts organisations across the country, including those in the North East, will continue to thrive.

Arts: Rochdale

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects of local authority funding reductions on arts organisations based in Rochdale metropolitan borough council area.

Edward Vaizey: It is central Government's role to empower local communities and local authorities to make the decisions that they feel are most appropriate for their area.
	The Department will continue to fund the arts through Arts Council England, who provide support to a number of Regularly Funded Organisations across the country.

Arts: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the likely effect on arts organisations based in Warrington of local authority funding reductions for arts projects.

Edward Vaizey: It is central Government's role to empower local communities and local authorities to make the decisions that they feel are most appropriate for their area.
	The Department will continue to fund the arts through Arts Council England, who provide support to a number of Regularly Funded Organisations across the country.

BBC: Advertisements

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans to request that the BBC broadcast Government advertisements.

Jeremy Hunt: The Government are currently assessing options for public service messaging in the future.

Film: Public Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the net savings to the public purse arising from the proposed new arrangements for the British Film Industry consequent on the closure of the UK Film Council.

Jeremy Hunt: It would be premature to give an estimate of the savings now. We first need the due diligences to take place between BFI, UK Film Council and Film London. It would be inappropriate to comment at this stage.
	The due diligence work has commenced following the film policy announcement on 29 November and it will provide robust figures when completed.

Jerwood Creative Bursaries Scheme: Graduates

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department's Jerwood Creative Bursaries Scheme is available to higher education graduates from further education colleges.

Edward Vaizey: The DCMS Jerwood Creative Bursaries Scheme is a pilot scheme open to arts graduates who graduated from their first degree in 2009 or 2010. Those with an NVQ level 4 or 5 qualification are also eligible. Advice provided by Jerwood, as managers of the scheme, to the first round of host organisations stated that graduates who gained their first degree or equivalent from higher education institutions were eligible to apply; additionally Jerwood aim to be as flexible as possible with eligibility criteria and attempt to assess exceptions on a case by case basis, within necessary limitations on time and resources. Host organisations for the second round have been advised that the focus should be on the level of qualification achieved, rather than where the qualification was gained.

Museums: Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding he plans to make available to each of the non-national museums in each of the next three years.

Jeremy Hunt: The table shows the funding allocated to each of the Department's non-national museums.
	The Design Museum, National Coalmining Museum, People's History Museum and Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives receive grant funding only. The Geffrye Museum, Horniman Museum and Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester receive grant in aid.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Museum  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 Design Museum 0.328 0.257 0.202 0.163 
			 Geffrye Museum 1.674 1.645 1.621 1.616 
			 Horniman Museum 4.275 4.199 4.139 4.127 
			 Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester 3.998 3.927 3.871 3.860 
			 National Coalmining Museum 2.707 2.657 2.616 2.608 
			 People's History Museum 0.168 0.164 0.162 0.162 
			 Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives 1.918 1.893 1.872 1.868

Olympic Games 2012

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential legacy for southern coastal resorts of the London 2012 Olympics; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) established the Nations and Regions Group to ensure UK-wide engagement and to maximise the legacy from London 2012. This group works directly with representatives from each of the nations and English regions to realise the sporting, economic, and cultural benefits of the 2012 games.
	The southern coastal resorts stand to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the 2012 games, through businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and cultural celebrations. Some examples of how the south coast, and specifically your own constituency, will benefit from the games are given as follows.
	Over 15,000 schools and colleges across the UK have registered for LOCOG's London 2012 education programme Get Set, 2,446 schools and colleges are registered in the south-east. In the Brighton and Hove local authority area 49 schools and colleges have registered for Get Set.
	Over 890 cultural or sporting projects across the UK have been awarded the Inspire mark. In the south-east 78 projects have been awarded Inspire marks, some of these projects are based in the southern coastal resorts. One example is Brighton and Hove Primary Schools Language and International Project which links 34 primary schools together, and encourages focused learning and inter-school activities to bring children together from across the city.
	In addition, 204 contracts have been awarded by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to suppliers in the south-east and some of these suppliers are also based in southern coastal towns. One of the suppliers is Brighton and Hove city council which has provided business services and consultancy.
	So far 22,209 companies in the region have registered on Competefor (the website where London 2012 contract opportunities are advertised), and 169 contracts have been awarded to Competefor suppliers. Not all the information on 'supply chain' level contracts is in the public domain. There may be other companies that have secured 'supply chain' contracts in the region.
	The Minister for Sport and Olympics has recently announced the 'Places People Play' programme, which will bring sporting legacy to life in communities across the country. This will be achieved by transforming the places where people play sport, inspiring people to make sport happen at a local level and creating sporting opportunities that give everyone the chance to become part of the mass participation legacy. Further detail can be found at the following link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7565.aspx
	Locations across the UK, particularly those that are hosting international teams in pre-games training camps (PGTCs), have additional opportunities to realise the economic benefits of the games. 13 agreements have been signed with teams to hold PGTCs in the south-east.
	In addition, enhancements to the Weymouth and Portland sailing venue were completed in November 2008. The National Sailing Academy will benefit from the improved facilities that the games will leave behind, providing a state-of-the-art facility for elite training, competition and local community use.

Sport England: Finance

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding  (a) Sport England and  (b) the Football Foundation provided for youth football development by (i) Premier, (ii) Championship, (iii) League and (iv) Conference football clubs in the period 2005 to 2009; and how much such funding each body plans to provide in the period 2009 to 2013.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England has advised that between 2005 and 2009 they provided a total of £11 million in funding for youth football development through the Whole Sport Plan, and between 2006 and 2009 the Football Foundation provided a total of £59.1 million. Sport England does not hold the breakdown by different divisions.
	For the period 2009 to 2013, Sport England will provide a total of £25.6 million towards youth football development, while the Football Foundation will provide £47 million in funding.
	In agreement with Sport England, how the funding is used is a matter for the Football Association and the Football Foundation.

UK School Games

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport in what ways the School Olympics will differ from the UK School Games; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Unlike the UK School Games, the Olympic and Paralympic-style School Sports Competition will be based on school and not regional participation. It will not be a single event catering for only our most talented young athletes, but a package of events and activities across England, inspiring a generation of young people to compete in sport. The aim is to ensure all children get an opportunity to participate in competitive sport, not just elite athletes.
	The national level event in 2012 will build on the good work that has been achieved through the UK School Games, as a showcase for our most talented youngsters to compete against each other, on behalf of their schools.

UK School Games

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what conclusions he drew from his visit to the UK School Games in 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Attending this year's Games served to strengthen our commitment to deliver an exciting, inclusive, and engaging Olympic and Paralympic-style school sports competition, with the power to change lives in every school in the country.
	On his visit to the Games this year, the Secretary of State was particularly interested to see the Athletes Village atmosphere and enjoyed meeting young people gearing up to perform at their very best.
	The new competition will include a package of events for schools, including a national event, and we will ensure the national event builds on the successes of the UK School Games.

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the compliance of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agency and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.

John Penrose: The Department does not in its day to day work source timber; however we are aware of the compliance issues through attending workshops run by the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET), and advised our agency and arm's length bodies of the requirements.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Attorney-General what steps he has taken since his appointment to reduce expenditure on conferences from budgets within his responsibility.

Edward Garnier: Budgetary responsibility lies with the Accounting Officers for the Law Officers' Departments. Nevertheless the Law Officers expect each of those Accounting Officers to ensure maximum value for money in respect of all expenditure and to ensure that any expenditure is necessary and appropriate. The information relating to specific LOD's is as follows.
	The Attorney-General's Office has no planned expenditure on conferences in 2010-11 other than for training purposes. Such events would only take place if there was a significant business need, and every effort would be made to maximise value for money.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department has no planned expenditure on conferences in 2010-11 other than for training purposes. In some years the Department has held an all staff conference but will not hold such a conference in 2010-11.
	The Government Legal Service (GLS) Secretariat, a part of the Department, usually organises an annual conference for GLS lawyers across Government, but no GLS conference will be held 2010-11.
	HMCPSI has taken the following steps to reduce expenditure on conferences:
	No staff conferences are now held outside London.
	Wherever possible HMCPSI facilities are used.
	Where it is not possible to use HMCPSI facilities, other Government departmental facilities are used at nil cost.
	Attendance at conferences for staff training purposes will be authorised only where there is a clear business need.
	The Serious Fraud Office's expenditure for conferences would have to be met within a tight budget framework given the need for the SFO to meet the reduction in funding following the comprehensive spending review, and therefore there would have to be a significant business need or spend to save opportunity for any conferences to go ahead. At present the SFO has no plans to hold any internal staff conferences.
	Attendance at conferences for staff training purposes will be authorised only where there is a clear business need.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), like other Government Departments, is subject to budget reductions and must make cost savings. The CPS has implemented a freeze on new Government advertising and marketing spend for the remainder of the financial year 2010-11. Conferences fall within this expenditure.
	If the CPS does run a conference or event, such as the annual Senior Managers' Conference, CPS premises rather than outside venues are used wherever possible to maximise value for money. Attendance at conferences for staff training purposes will be authorised only where there is a clear business need.
	The National Fraud Authority (NFA), since May 2010, has observed the cross- Government guidance on marketing by Departments and has not funded any conferences. External conferences are only attended by the NFA where a highly compelling business requirement can be justified, identifying cost savings where possible.

Departmental Publications

Robert Halfon: To ask the Attorney-General what estimate he has made of the Law Officers' Departments' expenditure on printing  (a) Command Papers,  (b) papers laid before Parliament by Act,  (c) consultation documents and  (d) other papers in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Garnier: The information requested is as follows:
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol), the Attorney-General's Office (AGO), HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) accounting systems do not capture spend on printing by type of document, and so it is therefore not possible to provide complete figures for all the various categories of document without incurring a disproportionate cost. The information that is available is detailed as follows.
	TSol routinely publishes as Command or House of Commons papers each year, an Annual Report and Accounts and Crown's Nominee Accounts. Additionally it publishes annual Resource Accounts which include the accounts of the AGO and HMCPSI and is laid under Act. The estimated cost of printing these accounts, including design and typesetting, for each of the last three years is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2009-10 9,335 
			 2008-09 9,794 
			 2007-08 8,185 
		
	
	The total publication costs incurred by the CPS of producing the CPS Annual Report and Resource Accounts is contained in the following table. These documents were presented to Parliament under Act.
	
		
			  Annual report 
			  Accounting  y ear  £ million 
			 2001-02 0.031 
			 2002-03 0.075 
			 2003-04 0.039 
			 2004-05 0.079 
			 2005-06 0.036 
			 2006-07 0.038 
			 2007-08 0.053 
			 2008-09 0.013 
			 2009-10 0.009 
		
	
	Since it launched in October 2008 the National Fraud Authority has spent £2,146 in 2008-09 and £2,058 in 2009-10 on printing papers presented to Parliament under Act.
	The Serious Fraud Office has spent the following on publishing papers presented to Parliament under Act. Printing costs are not recorded separately from publication costs and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Resource accounts 
			  Accounting year  £ 
			 2000-01 53 
			 2001-02 2,216 
			 2002-03 2,564 
			 2003-04 2,662 
			 2004-05 2,242 
			 2005-06 2,519 
			 2006-07 2,244 
			 2007-08 1,840 
			 2008-09 1,340 
			 2009-10 1,156 
		
	
	
		
			  Annual report 
			  Accounting  y ear  £ 
			 2000-01 9,420 
			 2001-02 25,093 
			 2002-03 32,973 
			 2003-04 35,396 
			 2004-05 18,449 
			 2005-06 34,130 
			 2006-07 31,960 
			 2007-08 25,773 
			 2008-09 38,867 
			 2009-10 18,982

European Financial Stability Mechanism

William Cash: To ask the Attorney-General what advice he has given to Cabinet colleagues on the legality of the European Financial Stability Mechanism in relation to its application to the United Kingdom.

Dominic Grieve: By long-standing convention, observed by successive Administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, whether or not the Law Officers have advised or have been requested to advise on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside Government.

Public Expenditure

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General whether his Department undertook an equality impact assessment of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

Dominic Grieve: There have been no equality impact assessments undertaken by the Law Officer's Departments following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) accounts for more than 90% of the Law Officer's departmental vote expenditure, and will face a budget reduction of 25% following the outcome of the comprehensive spending review. Planning is currently under way to ensure this reduction is achieved and equality impact assessments will be undertaken as part of this process.
	The planned budget reductions are service wide and not specific to any geographical area or group of staff.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Employment Schemes

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide  (a) cash and  (b) other incentives to businesses to employ jobseekers who formerly claimed incapacity benefit.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not in the past provided financial incentives of this nature to employers to encourage them to employ workless people and there are no plans to do so in the future.
	Support to help people move into employment falls within wider employment support, which is developed and managed by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Charity Research Support Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much funding from the public purse was spent on the Charity Research Support Fund in 2009-10;
	(2)  how much the charitable sector contributed to research supported by the Charity Research Support Fund in 2009-10.

David Willetts: Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) allocated £193.6 million in 2009-10 to higher education institutions in England as the charity support element of quality related (QR) research funding. Official data for research funding from charities to higher education institutions in 2009-10 are not yet available. In 2008-09, the most recent data available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the charitable sector spent £665 million on research in English HEIs.

Company Liquidations

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which statutory bodies are responsible for ensuring that company liquidations are initiated and performed according to legal requirements; and how many  (a) formal investigations have been undertaken and  (b) charges have been brought in respect of liquidations in each of the last three years.

Edward Davey: There are different routes for a company to enter liquidation. Compulsory liquidations result from a winding-up order made by the court on the petition in most cases of a creditor. In a few cases the petition may be presented by a Government body such as the Insolvency Service in the public interest and very occasionally by the company itself. On the making of a winding-up order the Official Receiver is appointed as liquidator.
	Creditors' voluntary liquidations result from an extraordinary resolution by a company's shareholders that an insolvency practitioner should be appointed as liquidator.
	A liquidator in either type of liquidation does not carry out a criminal investigation. However, if any prima facie criminal offences come to their attention, they have a statutory duty to report such matters to the appropriate prosecuting authority, which in almost all liquidation cases is the Legal Services Directorate of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), or to the relevant police authority, for them to decide whether to investigate the matters further.
	The Legal Services Directorate of the BIS receives complaints from a number of sources (but predominantly the Insolvency Service) concerning misconduct during the insolvency of companies and individuals. It is not possible to identify from the case tracking system whether the case referred to and investigated by this directorate arose as a result of a compulsory or voluntary liquidation or indeed whether the company referred is not in liquidation at all. In addition, specific charges are not entered onto the case tracking system when proceedings are instituted by this department but rather the charges are entered when a plea is entered and a conviction and sentence or acquittal is recorded. The Legal Services Directorate are therefore unable to state how many charges have been brought in respect of liquidations in each of the last three years.

Consumer Protection and Markets Authority

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of any redundancy following the transfer of functions of  (a) the Consumer Affairs branch of the Office of Fair Trading and  (b) Consumer Direct.

Edward Davey: No estimate has yet been made within the OFT of the likely cost to the public purse of any redundancy following the transfer of functions of Consumer Direct or of OFT consumer functions.

Consumer Protection and Markets Authority

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the budget was of  (a) Consumer Direct and  (b) the Consumer Affairs branch of the Office of Fair Trading in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: In the financial year 2010/11, the net budget for running Consumer Direct was set at £10.815 million and the net budget for the Strategic Solution Project was set at £4.199 million.
	The Strategic Solution Project aimed to secure the continuation of the Consumer Direct service beyond the expiry of existing contracts in March 2011. The project was on target to deliver a single contract for the provision of Consumer Direct up to 2016-17 but the procurement process was suspended in light of the government's ICT moratorium. The future operation of Consumer Direct will depend on the detail of the transfer of the service to Citizens Advice, which is not yet confirmed.
	The Office of Fair Trading does not have a separate Consumer Affairs branch. Since 2006 its structure has been arranged by markets rather than legislation, enabling it to look more easily at whole markets and to use all of the competition and consumer protection tools available to it to improve them where they are not operating effectively.

Departmental Billing

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidelines his Department follows on the prompt payment of suppliers.

Edward Davey: Upon receipt of a correctly rendered invoice the Department will aim to pay valid invoices as soon as possible with a target of five working days from date of receipt and within 30 days at the latest in line with our standard terms and conditions. The Department publishes its payment performance at
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/about/procurement/prompt-payment/bis-payment-performance

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken since his appointment to reduce expenditure on conferences from budgets within his responsibility.

Edward Davey: Since my appointment I have taken action to reduce expenditure in general, and administration in particular, across this Department and partner organisations. As a result, departmental expenditure (excluding partner organisations) on conferences is expected to reduce by over 40% this year, when compared to last year.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department has allocated in grants for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and how much such funding he plans to allocate for 2011-12.

Edward Davey: holding answer 22 November 2010
	In 2009-10 the Department incurred grant expenditure totalling £3 billion. This figure excludes grants paid to the Department's agencies.
	For 2010-11 the Department is currently forecasting to spend around £3 billion on grants.
	The Department is currently undertaking an internal allocation exercise to determine detailed allocations for 2011-12 but does not yet have a forecast for grant allocations for the next financial year.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its predecessors spent on press cuttings services in each year since 1997.

Edward Davey: Spend on press cuttings services by the Department's Press Office since 2002-03 is:
	
		
			Total excluding VAT (£) 
			 2002-03 DTI 237,040.13 
			 2003-04 DTI 229,177.49 
			 2004-05 DTI 224,082.56 
			 2005-06 DTI (1)189,759.41 
			 2006-07 DTI 255,477.33 
			 2007-08 DTI/BERR 228,651.51 
			 2007-08 DIUS 43,083.97 
			 2008-09 BERR 247,936.88 
			 2008-09 DIUS 51,702.32 
			 2009-10 BERR/BIS 275,977.22 
			 2009-10 DIUS(2) 8,865.96 
			 2010-11 BIS to October 2010 78,609.27 
			 (1) This is for nine months; three months data not available. (2) Before creation of BIS. 
		
	
	Information about spend on press cuttings before 2002-03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	These figures cover the costs of producing and distributing electronic and printed copies of the daily press cuttings.
	Significant savings have been achieved in the current financial year by reducing the number of printed copies of the cuttings and by continuously refining the search terms.

EU External Trade: Colombia and Peru

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what timetable he has set for the ratification by Parliament of the provisions of the EU-Andean (Peru and Colombia) Free Trade Agreement.

Mark Prisk: We expect signature of the EU-Andean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2011, before which the FTA would be subject to UK parliamentary scrutiny procedures. European Council legal advisers will determine whether the agreement is mixed competence, in which case it will need to be ratified by national parliaments. If, as expected, the FTA is mixed competence, we expect the UK ratification process to begin following signature later in 2011 or 2012. It would take several months to complete the secondary legislation required to ratify the FTA.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many EU directives are pending transposition into domestic legislation by his Department; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such transposition.

Edward Davey: This Department has 17 EU directives pending transposition into domestic legislation. These are at various stages of transposition, and the costs involved can be found in public records, on the individual impact assessments. The Government's Regulatory Forward Programme, to be published in due course for 2010/11, will contain information about measures to be implemented.

Financial Inclusion Fund

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on specialist debt advice services of the time taken to determine the future level of funding for the Financial Inclusion Fund.

Edward Davey: The Department has been working closely with the different teams that make up its Face-to-Face debt advice project to ensure they continue to deliver debt advice to people in financial difficulty even during an uncertain time for the project itself. At present time we expect the project to meet its overall target of seeing around 90,000 people by the end of this current financial year.
	The Government carried out an internal review of support for debt advice provision earlier this year which is now informing our thinking about the future. Final decisions regarding further funding for specific debt advice organisations will be taken once the implications of the spending review have been worked through.

Financial Reporting Council

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department made of the suitability for appointment of Glen Moreno as Deputy Chairman of the Financial Reporting Council; what assessment he has made of the performance of the Financial Reporting Council against its objective to promote high quality corporate governance; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has every confidence in Glen Moreno, who was appointed Deputy Chair of the Financial Reporting Council through an open competition. I similarly have every confidence in the Financial Reporting Council's work on corporate governance, including the new revision of the Corporate Governance Code and the publication this year of the first Stewardship Code for shareholders.

Higher Education: Admissions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people of each socio-economic group resident in Newcastle Central constituency applied to attend university at institutions  (a) outside the North East and  (b) nationally in academic year 2010-11; and how many in each group were successful in their applications.

David Willetts: HEFCE uses two different groupings of areas to define participation in higher education: one based on the participation rates of young (19 and under) people in HE (which is used by HEFCE when looking at young full-time entrants); and one based on the proportion of adults who hold HE qualifications (which is used by HEFCE when looking at part-time and mature full-time entrants). Because this table includes applicants and accepted applicants of all ages it breaks down applicants by the HE qualified adults' measure.
	The Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency has been identified using the home postcode regardless of declared area of permanent residence.
	
		
			  Total number of applicants and accepted applicants from Newcastle upon Tyne constituency who applied to at least one institution outside the north-east, by adult qualification rate quintile-Year of entry 2010 
			  Adult qualification rate quintile  Applicants to at least one institution outside north - east  Accepted to institution outside  north- east  Accepted to north- east institution 
			 1 40 11 15 
			 2 86 31 33 
			 3 54 11 22 
			 4 358 104 141 
			 5 85 59 10 
			 Grand total 623 216 221 
			  Notes: 1. Excluding a small number of applicants for whom adult qualification rate data were not available. Applicants include those who applied in main scheme and clearing so are not directly comparable with those above. 2. The data presented are for the provisional end of year 2010 captured on 13 October 2010. Final end of year data will be available from 20 January 2011.

Higher Education: Admissions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people of each socio-economic group resident in Newcastle Central constituency applied to attend Newcastle University in the academic year 2010-11; and how many in each group were successful in their applications.

David Willetts: Information on applicants to full-time undergraduate higher education courses is collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS do not issue data by individual higher education institutions as this is the subject of a confidentiality agreement between UCAS and the institutions.

Higher Education: Crawley

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to allocate further higher education places to the University centre to Crawley project following the implementation of the proposals in the Browne Review of higher education funding.

David Willetts: Full details of the spending envelope for higher education, including whether there is an allocation of funds and student places for the 'University Challenge' project and the proposal for Crawley, will be published in the forthcoming Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant letter, which will be issued before Christmas.

Higher Education: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Southport of 25 November 2010,  Official Report, column 405W, on higher education: finance, what estimate he has made of the funding each university will receive from  (a) the public purse and  (b) tuition fees in each of the first five years following the implementation of his proposals for higher education funding and tuition fees; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Grant allocations to higher education institutions (HEI) are for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) within the overall funding made available by the Department. HEFCE's funding for 2011-12 will be published in its annual grant letter before Christmas this year. Funding for subsequent years has not yet been determined. The level of tuition fees is for individual HEIs to determine. They have not yet set the fees for academic year 2012/13 or subsequent years.

Higher Education: Part-time Education

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an estimate of the number of part-time degree entrants at  (a) the Open University and  (b) other higher education institutions in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

David Willetts: Information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows in the 2008/09 academic year, of the 70,195 part-time first degree entrants, 36,015 (51%) studied at the Open University and 34,180 (49%) at other UK higher education institutions.
	Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011.

Higher Education: Recruitment

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many higher education institutions have received financial penalties for over-recruitment in the last academic year.

David Willetts: 60 institutions had their grant adjusted for this reason in 2009-10.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in each region were in higher education in each year from January 2005 to January 2010.

David Willetts: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the following table. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011.
	
		
			  UK Domiciled Enrolments( 1)  by Government Office Region of Domicile-UK Higher Education Institutions: Academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09 
			  Government Office Region  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			 North East 76,200 77,655 80,225 78,995 82,245 
			 North West 214,835 219,060 220,930 204,530 216,265 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 138,395 140,515 141,205 139,275 144,500 
			 East Midlands 120,105 121,715 122,370 123,620 128,300 
			 West Midlands 155,800 157,205 157,385 159,940 166,420 
			 East 156,480 154,950 157,485 158,555 165,155 
			 London 293,655 300,595 302,930 308,745 320,480 
			 South East 253,105 256,715 258,305 257,100 264,220 
			 South West 149,355 151,550 150,785 148,980 156,355 
			 Wales 105,300 104,460 104,880 101,965 102,395 
			 Scotland 178,290 179,395 181,850 175,115 178,215 
			 Northern Ireland 65,460 65,730 62,065 62,300 61,990 
			 Guernsey Jersey and Isle of Man 5,850 5,960 5,895 4,735 4,635 
			 UK region unknown 5,020 8,460 11,550 9,595 9,865 
			 England region unknown 21,305 30,230 20,855 30,870 26,045 
			 Total 1,939,150 1,974,195 1,978,715 1,964,315 2,027,085 
			 (1) Covers enrolments on all levels and modes of study.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in  (a) Haslingden and  (b) Hyndburn were in higher education in each year from January 2005 to January 2010.

David Willetts: The latest available information from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the following table. Figures for Haslingden are not available as data is not collected to this detailed level. Students studying higher education courses at further education colleges are not included.
	Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011. The Department has recently received updated postcode information therefore figures may not match those previously published.
	
		
			  Enrolments( 1)  from Hyndburn parliamentary constituency( 2)  UK Higher Education Institutions-Academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Enrolments 
			 2004/05 2,325 
			 2005/06 2,290 
			 2006/07 2,335 
			 2007/08 2,040 
			 2008/09 2,245 
			 (1) Covers enrolments on all levels and modes of study. (2) Excludes enrolments whose parliamentary constituency could not be established due to missing or invalid postcode information.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

North East Advisory Panel

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2010,  Official Report, column 342W, on the North East of England Development Board, what the functions of the North East Advisory Panel are.

Mark Prisk: The principal function of the North East Investment Advisory Panel is to advise One North East on applications for regional selective assistance under the Grant for Business Investment (GBI) scheme of over £250,000 and less than £2 million.
	From time to time the panel is also asked to advise One North East on: applications for selective financial assistance that fall outside current forms of support; applications submitted under the Tees Valley Industrial programme (TVIP); proposals to make major modifications to existing forms of support; proposals to introduce new forms of support under Section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982; administrative aspects of GBI and other schemes; and to provide information on the state of the regional economy to the Government Office for the North East as part of its quarterly report.

North East Advisory Panel

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who the members of the North East Advisory Panel are.

Mark Prisk: The current membership of the North East Investment Advisory Panel is:
	Lucy Armstrong Consultant, The Alchemists Northern Ltd. (Acting Chair)
	Patrica Alexander Managing Director, Shared Interests Ltd.
	David Armstrong Consultant (Offshore Sector)
	Paul Bartlett Former Director, Artenius UK Ltd.
	Chris Gill Finance Director, Wellstream International Ltd.
	Robert Hardy Managing Director, Aescia Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
	Gillian Hall Partner, Watson Burton LLP
	Stephen Hope Operations Director, Amec
	Bill Naylor Managing Director, Naylors Chartered Surveyors
	John Pike Former Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Union Snack Ltd.
	Stephen Turner Vice President and Project Director, Thales UK Ltd.

Overseas Students: Student Numbers

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students from other EU member states studied at universities in the UK in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: The latest information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is available in the table. These figures are also published in Table 1 of HESA's Statistical First Release which will be updated with 2009/10 figures in January 2011:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/1578/161/
	
		
			  EU-domiciled enrolments( 1) , UK higher education institutions, academic years 2004/05 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  EU-domiciled enrolments 
			 2004/05 93,995 
			 2005/06 99,985 
			 2006/07 105,410 
			 2007/08 112,150 
			 2008/09 117,660 
			 (1) Covers enrolments to all levels and modes of study.   Note:  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Overseas Trade: Transcaucasus

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the level was of UK  (a) trade and  (b) investment to and from (i) Azerbaijan, (ii) Armenia and (iii) Georgia in (A) 2007, (B) 2008 and (C) 2009.

Mark Prisk: The following data for trade in goods are taken from HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK exports of goods  UK imports of goods 
			   2007  2008  2009  2007  2008  2009 
			 Azerbaijan 240.1 304.0 271.3 109.3 122.2 50.6 
			 Armenia 11.8 9.7 8.5 0.5 0.9 0.5 
			 Georgia 34.3 38.1 25.6 144.2 101.2 157.7 
		
	
	The following data for trade in services is taken from the ONS UK Balance of Payments Pink Book. The data for 2007 come from the 2009 edition and may not be fully consistent with the data published in 2010 for the other two years.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   UK exports of services  UK imports of services 
			   2007  2008  2009  2007  2008  2009 
			 Azerbaijan 287 313 237 107 120 124 
			 Armenia 3 7 7 4 5 3 
			 Georgia 16 57 27 3 5 10 
		
	
	Data on foreign direct investment (FDI) for the three years requested are not available. In the Office for National Statistics estimates of the UK's FDI positions, it did not identify any inward FDI from Azerbaijan, Armenia or Georgia at the end of 2008, or any outward FDI from the UK in Armenia. Data for UK FDI in Azerbaijan and Georgia involved a small number of investors and so would be disclosive if published.

Re-Export Controls Bill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the provisions of the Re-Export Controls Bill [ Lords]; what the evidential basis is for that policy; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The UK has one of the most robust strategic export licensing systems in the world and I do not believe that the introduction of re-export controls would make it more so.
	Re-export controls are unenforceable. Once a good has left the UK, it is in practice under the jurisdiction of the destination country. We would be claiming that UK export controls applied, whereas in reality we would have no powers to enforce them.
	We do agree that it is undesirable for UK-origin goods to be re-exported to destinations or end-users of concern. That is why the risk of undesirable re-export is embedded in our assessment of licence applications: where the risk of such a re-export is sufficiently high, an export licence will not be granted.
	If a re-export of concern comes to light we can and do factor that in to our assessment of subsequent licence applications for similar goods to that destination. In practice, a re-export control would give us no extra powers.
	My noble Friend Baroness Wilcox responded for the Government during the second reading of Lord Alton's Private Members Bill (Re-export Controls) on 3 December 2010,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 1667.

Re-Export Controls Bill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the provisions of the Re-Export Controls Bill [ Lords]; how many such representations expressed  (a) support for and  (b) opposition to the principle of the Bill; what response he provided in each case; if he will place in the Library a copy of each such response; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: My hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, received a letter from the noble Lord Alton on 17 November in support of his Re-export Controls Bill. My hon. Friend responded on 23 November and suggested that the noble Lord Alton raised the issues with my noble Friend Baroness Wilcox at their pre-arranged meeting on 23 November. Amnesty International UK, Oxfam GB and Saferworld also made comments in favour of the Bill when they met me on Wednesday 1 December.
	The Department additionally received a note from the Export Group for Aerospace and Defence (EGAD) on 30 November, which sets out their general opposition to the principle of re-export controls. We do not intend to respond to this statement.
	I have arranged for these items of correspondence to be placed within the Libraries of the House.
	My noble Friend Baroness Wilcox responded for the Government during the second reading of Lord Alton's Private Members Bill (Re-export Controls) on 3 December 2010,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 1667.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the monetary value of  (a) freehold land and property assets and  (b) business and technology-related assets held by (i) Advantage West Midlands, (ii) the East of England Development Agency, (iii) the East Midlands Development Agency, (iv) the North West Development Agency, (v) One North-East, (vi) the South East England Development Agency, (vii) the South West England Development Agency and (viii) Yorkshire Forward.

Mark Prisk: The RDAs' audited accounts to 31 March 2010 provide the most recent valuation of land and property assets as follows:
	
		
			  RDA  Valuation as at 31 March 2010 (£000) 
			 AWM 106,587 
			 EEDA 11,315 
			 EMDA 18,463 
			 NWDA 57,678 
			 ONE 53,834 
			 SEEDA 107,896 
			 SWRDA 66,660 
			 YF 89,895 
		
	
	These figures include land and buildings, investment properties and development assets as set out in RDA accounts. The information on business and technology assets is not held centrally in the format requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

RRS Discovery

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) the Natural Environment Research Council have incurred to date on the procurement of the Natural Environment Research Council's new research vessel.

David Willetts: The Natural Environment Research Council has incurred a total of £18.3 million on its new research vessel. This includes resources provided by the Department from the Large Facilities Capital Fund.

RRS Discovery

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration the Natural Environment Research Council gave to outsourcing research functions before deciding to procure a new research vessel.

David Willetts: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) considered a range of options for outsourcing aspects before proceeding to procure a new research vessel.
	NERC made a formal assessment of the option of utilising private sector capability for scientific data acquisition. This option was not pursued as it provided the weakest value for money case in net present value terms in accordance with HM Treasury Green Book guidance.
	The outsourcing of the research function in its entirety would not have met the statement of requirement for the new vessel, particularly in respect of the enduring need to provide barter, swap and collaboration opportunities to deliver world-class multi-disciplinary marine science.
	As part of its comprehensive review of ship operations in 2008/9, NERC concluded that the lack of guaranteed availability of vessels with the right capabilities to deliver world-class multi-disciplinary science programmes precluded exercising an option to charter in research ship time to replace the RRS Discovery.
	NERC sought bids for a long-term maintenance contract option as part of the production of the RRS Discovery replacement. A thorough assessment of the qualifying submissions which included long-term maintenance responses was conducted and NERC concluded that a design and build was the most affordable approach at that time.
	NERC continues to be open to the possibility of outsourcing the operation of its research vessels (as distinct from outsourcing the research), and will keep this under review.

RRS Discovery

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the construction costs of Natural Environment Research Council's new research vessel will be paid to UK companies.

David Willetts: Approximately 20% of the construction costs of NERC's new research vessel will be paid to UK companies.

RRS Discovery

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the estimated cost of the Natural Environment Research Council's new research vessel was at the time the decision to procure was made.

David Willetts: The estimated total cost of bringing the ship into service at the time the procurement decision was made in March 2010 was £75 million.

RRS Discovery

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the costs of procuring the new Natural Environment Research Council's research vessel have risen from £55 million in 2009 to £75 million; for what reasons this increase has been accepted by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The figure of £55 million was an early planning figure from 2005 before the Discovery Replacement Project was initiated. In November 2008, NERC Council agreed a revised funding envelope of £70 million to £75 million to encompass an extended project scope and the latest market intelligence information on shipbuilding, material costs, and design risk, and to allow for the prevailing currency weakness. This deterioration in exchange rate accounted for most of the increased cost. The Department accepted that this increase was principally due to a factor outside NERC's control.

RRS Discovery

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the purchase cost was of the Natural Environment Research Council's vessel, RSS Discovery.

David Willetts: In 1962/63 the RRS Discovery was purchased at a cost of nearly £900,000. In 1991/92 approximately £12 million was spent on a major refit and refurbishment of the vessel.
	The total project cost for the purchase of the replacement for RRS Discovery contracted in March 2010 is £75 million. Of this the contract for the vessel is £66.718 million.

RRS Discovery

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the Natural Environment Research Council contracted Skipsteknisk to design its new research vessel; what account was taken of Skipsteknisk's performance in its work on the National Environment Research Council research vessel, James Cook, in making this decision; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The decision to appoint Skipsteknisk AS as the lead design authority the replacement of RRS Discovery was taken by the shipyard (C.N.P. Freire SA) as part of its bid to build the vessel, not the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
	Skipsteknisk AS is a world renowned and leading designer of research ships. It designed the RRS James Cook which has been deployed extensively by the NERC on research projects with little or no downtime since delivery in August 2006. The appointment of Skipsteknisk AS is allowing NERC the benefit of improving on areas of design utilising lessons learned from the RRS James Cook Project.

RRS Discovery

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration the Natural Environment Research Council gave to utilising private sector capability for scientific data acquisition when taking the decision to proceed with the procurement of its new research vessel.

David Willetts: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) formally reviewed eight options in its assessment of a requirement to deliver an enduring marine science capability. Utilising private sector capability for scientific data acquisition was subject to a formal business case assessment as a 'Charter' option. This option was not pursued as it provided the weakest value for money case in net present value terms in accordance with HM Treasury Green Book guidance. A thorough assessment of the qualifying submissions which included long-term maintenance responses was conducted and NERC concluded that a design and build was the most affordable and practical approach at that time.
	The private sector currently has the ability to collect routine survey data sets; however few private sector vessels are capable of acquiring the complex multi-disciplinary data sets required simultaneously in support of UK marine research interests. This is primarily because the private sector platforms are optimised to collect data of specific types, whereas the NERC research vessels have been designed to perform multi-disciplinary science ranging from the atmosphere to the sub seabed, as an increasing trend in marine research is the inter-action between biological, chemical, physical and geological processes.

Self-employed: Young People

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of self-employed businesses which are run by individuals between the age of 16 and 24 years in  (a) the UK and  (b) Sevenoaks constituency.

Mark Prisk: The Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey showed that 4.1% of individuals in the UK identifying themselves as self-employed in July to September 2010 were aged between 16 and 24 years. Robust estimates of this proportion are not available for Sevenoaks constituency.

Students: Grants

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of students  (a) normally resident in (i) Bristol East constituency and (ii) Bristol and  (b) nationally were awarded (A) a full maintenance grant, (B) a partial grant and (C) special support grant in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many students normally resident in Bristol East constituency were awarded a  (a) full maintenance grant,  (b) partial grant and  (c) special support grant in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The maintenance grant is available to students who have entered higher education since 2006/07. The special support grant is available in place of the maintenance grant for full-time students who can claim income-related benefits. Both have the same level of full grant (£2,906 in 2010/11), and are means-tested with partial grants available.
	
		
			  Grants awarded( 1)  in academic year 2009/10, Bristol( 2)  and England 
			Applicants (thousand)  Percentage 
			England  Bristol  England  Bristol 
			 Maintenance grant and special support grant Full grant 340.2 2.5 39 43 
			  Partial grant 199.4 1.2 23 20 
			  Nil grant(3) 340.4 2.1 39 37 
			  Of which:  
			 Maintenance grant Full grant 313.7 2.3 - - 
			  Partial grant 197.3 1.2 - - 
			   
			 Special support grant Full grant 26.5 0.2 - - 
			  Partial grant 2.1 * - - 
			 * = Less than 50 applicants (1) The table covers applicants for student support who entered higher education in 2006/07 or later. Excludes those who received an NHS bursary. (2) Applicants normally resident in the Bristol local authority area. (3) Not awarded a grant because their household residual income is greater than the threshold to receive a grant, or they have not supplied income information. Eligible applicants may receive other forms of support.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	3% of applicants were awarded a special support grant, both in Bristol and at England level. Robust information is not available at constituency level.

Wood: Sustainable Development

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the compliance of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.

Edward Davey: Contractors engaged by the Department are required to comply with the DEFRA guidance. The tender documents issued to potential contractors state that wood products must be purchased from sustainable sources and the potential contractors are required to provide certificates of compliance in their tender submissions.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond directly to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 29 November 2010:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question what assessment he has made of the compliance of (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.
	The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no assessment of the compliance of the UN Food Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.
	 Letter from John Alty, dated 30 November 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 26 November 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office does not purchase timber direct. However, furniture is purchased through the Office of Government Commerce's (OGC) Buying Solutions Framework agreement where it is a requirement that preferred suppliers hold the relevant Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. Where we engage the use of contractors for minor building work requirements, they must provide evidence that timber products are sourced from managed and sustainable sources.
	 Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 1 December 2010:
	Thank you for your parliamentary question regarding what assessment has been made by the Skills Funding Agency of its compliance with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.
	Please note that the Skills Funding Agency does not source timber.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 1 December 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 26 November 2010, UIN 27855 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House has written into all specifications for work that requires the use of timber, that we will only accept timber from a proven sustainable source.
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 3 December 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled 26th November 2010, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the compliance by his Department and its Agencies with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.
	Because of NMO's responsibility for the site in Teddington on which both it and the National Physical Laboratory are located, our principal interest in the use of sustainable timber is in relation to buildings and site infrastructure. The site Facilities Management contractor is required to compile and maintain a recording system to monitor any timber usage in the course of providing the services by species and volume. Written confirmation is required that all timbers utilised have been obtained from sustainable sources.
	I can confirm that timber purchased satisfies the approved schemes of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber which meet the Government's sustainability criteria. These criteria are the same as those referred to by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
	In addition, NMO's general office procurement (such as the purchase of paper to Forest Stewardship Council standards) is reviewed as part of the Sustainable Development in Government process.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Council of Europe Convention against Human Trafficking

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the scope for professional discretion and flexibility in respect of the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention against Human Trafficking.

Damian Green: There is flexibility in how the Council of Europe Convention against Human Trafficking is implemented, as giving effect to it does not require legislation. The UK is fully compliant with the Convention.

Crime: Alcoholic Drinks

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol-attributable  (a) violent crimes and  (b) sexual offences per 1,000 crimes were recorded in (i) each local authority in Wiltshire, (ii) Wiltshire and (iii) England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not available centrally. It is not possible to determine the number of offences which were attributable to the effects of alcohol from the police recorded crime data collected by the Home Office.

Crime: Victims

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ethnic group was of each  (a) offender and  (b) victim of each crime motivated by prejudice in 2009.

Crispin Blunt: I have been asked to reply.
	The ethnic group of each offender proceeded against at the magistrates courts for racially or religiously, aggravated indictable offences is available in the following table.
	Data on the ethnicity of the victim are not collected centrally, but previous editions of the British Crime Survey (BCS) have explored racially motivated crime.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at the magistrates courts for racially or religiously aggravated indictable offences( 1) , by ethnicity, England and Wales, 2009( 2, 3) 
			   Number 
			 White 4,313 
			 Black 387 
			 Asian 215 
			 Other 97 
			 Not recorded/not known 1,045 
			 Total 6,057 
			 (1) Includes offences under the following statutes: Offences against the Person Act 1861; Common Law and Crime and Disorder Act 1998; Crime and Disorder Act 1998; Public Order Act 1986 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Criminal Damage Act 1971 (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Drug Interventions Programme

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of Drug Inventions Programme in the last six months.

James Brokenshire: The Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) was established in 2003 to tackle class A drug misusing offenders by identifying, assessing and case-managing them to ensure they access treatment. In 2009-10, DIP was effective in managing approximately 58,000 adult class A drug misusing offenders into treatment.
	Some of the interventions were introduced in the Drugs Act 2005 and, in September 2010, the Department published the Post-Legislative Assessment of the Drugs Act 2005 (Cm 7935) for consideration by the Home Affairs Select Committee. This provided a preliminary assessment of the implementation and operation of the Drugs Act 2005, and showed that:
	the introduction of testing on arrest and the initial and follow up assessment had significantly increased the number of those tested and those attending an assessment.
	these powers had improved the grip exerted on drug using offenders through the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP).

Human Trafficking: EU Law

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discretionary provisions the implementation of the proposed EU Directive on human trafficking would make mandatory; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Explanatory Memorandum submitted by the Home Office to Parliament on 25 May (8157/10) sets out in more detail any discretionary provisions the implementation of the proposed EU directive on human trafficking would make mandatory.
	The Government chose not to opt in at the start but will review that decision once the text of the directive is adopted.

Licensing

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to announce the conclusion of her review of the Licensing Act 2003; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government's response to the alcohol licensing consultation was published on 1 December 2010. This sets out the changes that we will make to the licensing regime which stem from the commitments in the coalition agreement. The Government's response can be found at the following weblink:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs/alcohol/rebalancing-consultation/

UK Border Agency: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what external agencies and organisations the UK Border Agency engages in Northern Ireland to provide services to asylum seekers; and what the total cost of those services was in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency uses two external agencies in Northern Ireland, the Refugee Council and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. UK Border Agency has a Grant Agreement with Refugee Council to supply One Stop Services and Initial Accommodation 'wraparound' services. The costs for this service over the last three years are:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 537,147 
			 2009-10 527,316 
			 2010-11 452,147 
		
	
	Northern Ireland Housing Executive provides housing for asylum seekers. Total costs for this service for the last three years from July 2008 are:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 1,362,580 
			 2009-10 2,254,329 
			 2010-11 1,405,101 
		
	
	2010-11 are currently projections as costs for housing varies depending on numbers.

UK Border Agency: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) budget and  (b) expenditure outturn was for the UK Border Agency's operations in Northern Ireland in each year since the Agency's formation.

Damian Green: The budget and expenditure outturn for the UK Border Agency's operations in Northern Ireland is as follows:
	
		
			  Resource costs  £ 
			  2009-10  
			 Actual 5,875,896 
			 Budget 5,382,725 
			   
			  2010-11  
			 Budget 4,865,993 
		
	
	 Note:
	These are directly attributable costs to each of the operations that the Immigration Group and Border Force have in Northern Ireland. There are costs that are held centrally like IT, Property and Management overheads that are not allocated out and hence are not included in the costs above.

EDUCATION

Academies: Durham

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what discussions he has had on plans to build a new academy school in Consett, North West Durham in the last three months;
	(2)  if he will release immediately the funding to build a new academy school in Consett, North West Durham; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State has not, in the last three months, had any telephone discussions regarding plans for a new academy in Consett, north-west Durham. On 8 October 2010 the Secretary of State wrote to Professor Christopher Higgins, vice chancellor of Durham university, regarding capital funding, and on the same date he also wrote to Councillor Owen Temple regarding the location of the academy in Consett.
	The comprehensive spending review set out how much capital funding the Department will receive for projects. There are a group of academy building projects, of which Consett is one, where Ministers have not yet made a decision about which should be funded or how much funding they will receive. We aim to confirm how much will be allocated to each project by the end of the year. Plans to open the Consett academy in its existing buildings continue to be developed.

Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial support his Department plans to allocate to the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom in the financial year  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12 and  (c) 2012-13.

Nick Gibb: As we made clear in our response of 25 October to the report from the Children, Schools and Families Committee's Transforming Education Outside the Classroom of 1 April 2010, the Government recognises the valuable role that Learning Outside the Classroom can play in a child's educational experience.
	The Government also made clear in their response that it is for the Council and its member organisations to take the lead in working directly with schools and providers. This is consistent with the government's approach to education-that school leaders and other front-line professionals should be free to make decisions about how to use the resources available to them. School budgets will see an increase in funding of £3.6 billion in cash terms by the end of Spending Review period.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of recipients of education maintenance allowance likely to receive  (a) financial assistance from the Discretionary Learner Support fund and  (b) receive the same level of assistance from the Discretionary Learner Support fund in the 2011-12 academic year as they are receiving in 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: Decisions regarding the new discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need. The Government do not intend to dictate to schools, colleges and training providers how many young people should receive support under the new arrangements, or what level of support they should receive.
	The current discretionary scheme supports around 200,000 young people each year.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people who were eligible for free school meals in year 11 in each local authority area have claimed education maintenance allowance in each year since its inception.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Wigan with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in  Hansard and the House Libraries.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many young people resident in  (a) West Ham constituency,  (b) Newham and  (c) London are eligible for education maintenance allowance;
	(2)  how many young people resident in  (a) West Ham constituency,  (b) Newham and  (c) London have applied for education maintenance allowance since the inception of that scheme.

Nick Gibb: These are matters for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for West Ham with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding he expects to be allocated to each school in Warrington under his proposals to abolish education maintenance allowance and replace it with sums paid out at the discretion of head teachers.

Nick Gibb: The enhanced discretionary learner support fund replacing EMA will enable schools, colleges and training providers more effectively to target those young people who actually need the support to enable them to participate in education.
	We plan to allocate the enhanced funding in line with the timetable for overall funding allocations for schools and colleges, which will be made by the end of March.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department will allocate to each school and college in Warrington under the Government's plans to replace the education maintenance allowance in the first 12 months of such arrangements.

Nick Gibb: We will replace EMA with an enhanced discretionary learner support fund, based on the existing arrangement for discretionary learner support so that schools, colleges and training providers can more effectively target those young people who actually need the support to enable them to participate in education.
	We plan to allocate the enhanced funding in line with the timetable for overall funding allocations for schools and colleges, which will be made by the end of March.

Educational Under-achievement

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to reduce the level of educational under-achievement since his appointment.

Nick Gibb: Since his appointment, the Secretary of State for Education has introduced a number of significant steps to reduce levels of educational under-achievement. First, the Academies Act 2010 enabled the expansion of the Academy programme and the introduction of free schools to offer schools more freedom and autonomy in their drive to tackle under-achievement. Furthermore, in the Education White Paper presented before the House, the Secretary of State has outlined reforms to reduce educational under-achievement through measures to support teachers and the teaching profession, ensure rigorous standards in the classroom and help schools to drive their own improvement. This includes a new focus on higher floor standards in both primary and secondary phases.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much of the funding allocated to High Performing Specialist Schools in 2010-11 will be redistributed to the pupil premium in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Nick Gibb: The pupil premium will be funded from outside the schools budget. On 20 October the Government announced in the spending review that we are bringing together schools funding streams into the dedicated schools grant, which will include the high performing specialist schools funding.
	Details of the how the Department's programme funding will be allocated will be announced in due course. We are considering carefully how funding can be used to best effect, in line with our priorities in relation to services for children, young people and their families.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children in Oxford West and Abingdon constituency who will receive the proposed pupil premium.

Nick Gibb: We are considering the responses to the consultation on school funding which ended on 18 October, including the question of which deprivation indicator to use. The number of children eligible, either in a constituency or in England as a whole, will depend on this decision.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he has provided to schools that wish to convert to academy or free school status that are subject to a private finance initiative contract.

Nick Gibb: The Department's advice to schools which are part of a PFI contract is that they will remain part of the contract after conversion to Academy status.
	Arrangements for each PFI school converting to Academy status are specific to that school. However, the normal arrangement is that two additional legal agreements are put in place. First, a schools agreement, made between the academy trust and the local authority, which contains the obligations of the parties necessary for continued fulfilment of the PFI contract. Second, a principal agreement made between the local authority, the academy trust and the Secretary of State, which contains indemnification for the authority in relation to various obligations of the Academy. When a PFI school applies to convert, officials provide specific advice and guidance. We do not expect that any free schools would be subject to an existing PFI contract, but if they were, similar arrangements would apply.

Schools: Rural Areas

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms he plans to put in place to ensure that the determination of the level of direct funding of schools takes into account additional costs associated with schooling in rural communities.

Nick Gibb: The Dedicated Schools Grant includes £200 million of underlying funding for sparsity in 2010-11, to recognise that small rural schools are more expensive to run. Further information on the future direction of school funding have been set out in the White Paper which has now been published.